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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/campsincaribbeesOOoberiala 


STATE  HORWAl  SCHOOl, 

Los  Angeles,  Gal. 


CAMPS  IN  THE  CARIBBEES: 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  A  NATURALIST 
IN  THE  LESSER  ANTILLES. 


BY 


FREDERICK  A.  OBER. 


"To-morrow  I  sail  for  those  cinnamon  groves. 
Where  nightly  the  ghost  of  the  Caribbee  roves.' 


BOSTON: 

LEE    AND    SHEPARD,    PUBLISHERS. 

NEW  YORK:  CHARLES  T.  DILLINGHAM. 

1880. 


COPYRIGHT, 
1879, 

By  Frederick  A.  Ober. 

AU  Right*  Rgttrvtd. 


— ■'IjC 


Electrotyped  at  the  Boston  Stereotype  Foundry, 
Na  19  Spring  Lane. 


TO 


NATHANIEL   H.  BISHOP, 

author  of 
"a  thousand  miles'  walk,"  "voyage  of  the  paper  canoe,' 

ETC., 


BY 
HIS    FRIEND,   THE    AUTHOR. 


PREFACE. 


»5©io 


The  islands  to  which  reference  is  made  in  the  fol- 
lowing chapters  are  those  known  as  the  Caribbees, 
or  Lesser  Antilles,  extending  over  eight  degrees  of 
latitude,  between  Porto  Rico  and  Trinidad,  connect- 
ing the  Greater  Antilles  with  the  continent  of  South 
America. 

This  archipelago,  containing  the  loveliest  islands  in 
the  western  hemisphere,  with  settlements  ante-dating 
Jamestown  and  Plymouth,  with  structure  and  physi- 
cal features  interesting  to  men  of  science  the  world 
over,  has  yet  remained,  as  at  the  period  of  discovery, 
almost  an  unknown  field  to  the  naturalist. 

In  1876,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Smithsonian  In- 
stitution, I  undertook  the  exploration  of  these  islands 
with  the  especial  view  of  bringing  to  light  their 
ornithological  treasures.  The  investigation  covered 
a  space  of  nearly  two  years,  during  which  time  I 
visited  mountains,  forests,  and  people,  that  few,  if 
any,  tourists  ever  reached  before.  It  was  only  by 
leaving  the  beaten  path  of  travel,  and  taking  to  the 
woods,  that  I  was  enabled  to  accomplish  what  I  did 


Vi  PREFACE. 

in  the  way  of  discovery  ;  for  which  the  curious  reader 
is  referred  to  the  Appendix,  and  to  the  various  cat- 
alogues of  new  birds  discovered,  published  by  the 
National  Museum. 

While  around  the  borders  of  each  island  there  is  a 
cleared  belt  of  fertile  land,  sometimes  densely  popu- 
lated, and  on  the  coast  are  often  large  villages  and 
even  cities,  the  interior  is  generally  one  vast  forest, 
covering  hills  and  mountains  so  wild  and  forbidding 
of  aspect  that  few  clearings  are  made  in  them  save 
the  "provision  grounds"  of  the  negroes  and  Indians. 
Many  tourists  and  writers  have  visited  these  islands, 
have  stopped  a  while  in  the  towns,  have  interviewed 
the  natives,  and  then  have  hastened  off  to  England 
or  the  States,  and  written  books  about  them.  Several 
naturalists  of  note  have  likewise  visited  the  shores 
of  these  interesting  isles,  but,  like  the  writers  afore- 
mentioned, have  never  penetrated  beyond  the  line  of 
civilization. 

Conjecturing  that  the  public  have  had  enough  of 
descriptions  at  second  hand,  from  writers  who  are 
more  ears  than  eyes,  I  have  hastened  away  from 
town  and  city,  and  sought  an  early  opportunity  for 
taking  my  readers  to  the  forest,  where  everything 
reposes  in  nearly  the  same  primitive  simplicity  and 
freshness  as  when  discovered  by  Columbus,  nearly 
four  centuries  ago. 

I  took  my  camera  with  me,  and  whenever  a  new 
bit  of  scenery  presented  itself,  a  beautiful  tree,  or  cas- 


PREFACE.  Vll 

cade,  or  a  composition  peculiarly  tropical,  I  photo- 
graphed it ;  and  my  publishers  have  used  as  subjects 
for  illustration  only  these  photographs  from  nature, 
which  have  never  been  presented  before.  As  with 
the  illustrations,  so  with  the  sketches  in  type.  I  have 
but  photographed  the  scenes  I  visited  and  the  people 
I  saw  and  lived  among.  Now  and  then,  in  follow- 
ing a  thread  of  history  that  connects  these  islands  and 
people  with  an  almost  forgotten  past,  I  have  availed 
myself  of  the  language  of  the  historian,  but  in  rare 
instances.  My  only  claim  is,  that  these  sketches  are 
original,  and  fresh  from  new  fields  —  new,  yet  old  in 
American  history,  —  and  that  they  are  accurate,  so 
far  as  my  power  of  description  extends.  They  have 
not,  like  the  engravings,  had  the  benefit  of  touches 
from  more  skillful  hands,  and  they  may  be  crude  and 
unfinished,  and  lack  the  delicate  shadings  and  half- 
tones a  more  cunning  artist  could  have  given  them ; 
but  they  are,  at  least,  true  to  nature. 

Though  the  voyage  to  and  from  these  islands 
was  fraught  with  incident,  there  was  little  that  did 
not  savor  of  the  ordinary  sea-voyage,  hence  it  has 
been  left  out,  and  the  narrative  begins  and  ends  in 
the  Caribbees.  Beside  this,  there  yet  remains  much 
material  which  has  not  been  drawn  upon,  comprising 
more  of  pure  adventure,  which,  should  public  and 
publishers  pass  a  favorable  verdict  upon  this,  may 
form  a  volume  for  another  year. 
Beverly,  Mass.,  October,  1879. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 
DOMINICA, 

PAGB 

The  Mysterious  Ocean  Current.  —  Dominica  and  Columbus.  — 
Roseau  and  Anthony  Trollope.  —  A  West-Indian  Town. — 
Introduction  to  Tropical  Scenes. — The  Mountains.  —  The 
First  Camp I 

CHAPTER  II. 
CAMP  LIFE   IN  THE   TROPICS. 

A  March  Morning.  —  Matin  Music.  — Jean  Baptiste.  —  Sonny. 

—  Breakfast  in  the  Mountains.  —  Qiieer  Customs.  —  De- 
lightful Temperature  for  March.  —  The  Hunt  for  Birds. — A 
Day's  Duties.  —  Strange  Birds  and  Scenery.  —  The  "Trem- 
bleur."  —  A  Precipice. — An  Organ-Bird,  the  "Mountain 
"Whistler." —  Bird  Notes.  — My  Chasseurs.  —  Land  Crabs.  — 
Ardent  Assistants.  —  Twilight 12 

CHAPTER  III. 

IN  AND  ABOUT  MY  FIRST  CAMP. 

The  Caribbean  Sea,  its  Deceptive  Appearance  and  Placidity.  — 
My  Neighbors,  the  Mountaineers,  their  Sayings  and  Wise 
Saws. — A  French  Missionary  needed. — The  Iguana  and 
its  Flesh.  —  Glimpses  of  Mrs.  Grundy.  —  A  Work  of  Art. 

—  Cruising  for  Crustaceans.  —  The  "Grives.'*  —  Marie. — 
Long-Tailed   Decapods.  —  "Where  Crabs  grow."  —  "Wait 

ix 


X  CONTENTS. 

there,  Monsieur."  —  Astonished. —  Shocked.  — The  River.  — 
Drenched.  —  A  Naiad.  — A  Victim  to  Science.  —  Food  for  the 
Gods 25 

CHAPTER  IV. 

THE   SUNSET-BIRD.  —  HUMMING-BIRDS. 

The  Crater-Tarn.  —  Temporary  Camps. — The  "  Soleil  Cou- 
cher." — "Hear  the  Sunset."  —  A  Bird  possessed  of  the 
Devil.  — The  Capture.  —  A  Species  New  to  the  World.— 
Four  Species  of  Humming-Birds.  —  The  Garnet-Throat  and 
Gilt-Crested.  —  Dan,  the  Hunter.  —  Catching  Birds  with 
Bread-Fruit  Juice.  —  In  Captivity.  —  Death.  —  Their  Food. 

—  Methods  of  Capture.  —  The  Humming-Bird  Gun. — The 
Aerial  Dance 40 

CHAPTER  V. 

THE  BOILING  LAKE   OF  DOMINICA. 

A  Wild  Cat. — Tree-Ferns. — Mountain  Palms. — A  Rare  Hum- 
ming-Bird. —  The  Valley  of  Desolation.  —  Misled  by  a  Bot- 
tle. —  Boiling  Springs.  —  Hot  Streams.  —  Sulphur  Baths.  — 
The  Solfatara.  —  Building  the  Ajoupa.  —  Cooking  Breakfast 
in  a  Boiling  Spring 52 

CHAPTER  VI. 
AMONG  THE  CARIBS. 

Their  Peaceful  Life.  —  Fruits  and  Food.  — The  Second  Voyage 
of  Columbus. — Discovery  of  the  Caribs. — Fierce  Nature 
and  Intelligence  of  the  "Cannibal  Pagans."  —  Unlike  the 
Natives  of  the  Greater  Antilles.  —  The  Carib  Reservation 
in  Dominica.  —  My  Camp  in  Carib  Country. — Two  Sov- 
ereigns. —  The  Village.  — The  Houses.  —  Catching  a  Cook. 

—  A  Torchlight  Procession.  —  Lighting  a  Room  with  Fire- 
Flies.  —  "  Look  ze  Cook."  —  Labor.  —  Domestic  Relations. 

—  A  Drunken  Indian.  —  Wild  Men  and  Naked  Children.  — 
Carib  Panniers.  —  The  only  Art  preserved  from  their  An- 
cestors     73 


CONTENTS.  XI 

CHAPTER  VII. 

SOCIAL  LIFE,  APPEARANCE,  AND  LANGUAGE  OF  THE 
CARIBS. 

Happy  Children.  —  Cleanliness.  —  Primitive  Innocence.  —  A 
Modest  Maiden.  —  Dress.  —  Face  and  Figure.  —  Flattening 
the  Forehead. — Ugly  Men  and  Women.  —  Carib  Hospital- 
ity.—  The  Basket-Weaver. — Tropic  Noontide.  —  Religion. 

—  The  Dying  Woman.  —  A  Lost  Skeleton.  —  Burial  of  the 
Dead.  —The  Wake.  —  St.  Vincent  Caribs.  —  Two  Dialects. 

—  The   Arowaks. — An   Agreeable   Tongue.  —  Vocabulary. 

—  Caliban  a  Carib,  and  Crusoe's  Man  Friday'.  —  Cru- 
soe's Island.  —  Black  Caribs.  —  Weapons  and  Utensils  of 
Stone.  —  "Thunderbolts." —  Carib  Sculpture.  —  A  Sacri- 
ficial Stone.  —  Whence  came  They  ?  —  Their  Northern 
Limit.  — A  Southern  Origin.  — Their  Lost  Arts.  — A  Dying 
People 90 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

HOW  I   CAPTURED  THE   IMPERIAL  PARROT.. 

Meyong.  —  My  Hut.  —  A  Mixed-up  Language.  —  Departure 
for  the  Forest. — Pannier  and  Cutlass. — Wood-Pigeons. — 
The  Startled  Savages. — The  Bath.  —  A  Gloomy  Gorge. — 
"  Palmiste  Montague."  —  In  the  Haunts  of  the  Parrot. — 
Immense  Trees.  —  Parasites  and  Lianes.  — Wood  for  Canoes 
and  Gum  for  Incense.  —  The  "Bois  Diable."  —  Construct- 
ing the  Camp.  —  Palm-Spathes.  —  A  Bonne  Bouche,  the 
Beetle  Grub.  —  Nocturnal  Noises. —  Comical  Frogs. — A 
Blacksmith  in  a  Tree. —The  First  Shot.  —  The  Humming- 
Bird's  Nest.  —  The  Parrot.  —  An  Excited  Guide.  — An  Acci- 
dent—Wild Hogs.  — The  "Little  Devil." 112 

CHAPTER  IX. 

A  DAY  IN  THE  DEEP  WOODS. 

The  Bee-Tree.  —  Enveloped  in  Plants.  —  Ascending  the  Giant 
Tree.  —  Smoking  Out  the  Bees.  — Vegetable  Ropes.  —  Honey 
ad  libitum.  —  A  Bite.  —  A  Howl.  — The  Bee-Eaters.  —  Carib 


XU  CONTENTS. 

Perversity.  —  Sweet  Content.  —  How  to  draw  a  Bee-Line.  — 
The  Palm  Troughs. — A  Bamboo  Cup. — A  Stroll  and  an 
Alarm. —  The  Carib  Ghost.  — Traditions.  — The  March  re- 
sumed. —  An  Army  of  Crabs.  —  Crabs  that  Migrate.  —  Deli- 
cious Food.  —  The  Mountain  Peak.  —  Hunting  the  "  Dia- 
blotin."  —  Is  it  a  Myth  ?  —  Caught  in  a  Storm.  —  The  Carib 
Castle.  —  The  Captive's  Cave.  —  Vampires.  —  The  Forest 
Spirit 130 

CHAPTER    X. 
A  MIDNIGHT  MARCH,  AND  WHAT  CAME  OF  IT. 

The  Apparition. — The  Lost  Chief.  —  A  Forgotten  Language. 

—  The  March  by  Torchlight.  —  Strange  and  Distorted 
Forms. — The  Forest  Wilderness.  —  A  Mysterious  Sound. 

—  "A  Tree  felled  by  God."  —  Virgin,  protect  Us!  — Cook- 
ing by  Steam. — The  Rosewood  Cabin.  —  The  Chief  Dis- 
appears.—  Is  it  Gold? — A  Small  Boa  Constrictor. — A 
Carib  Basilisk.  —  The  Biggest  Bug  in  the  World.  —  It 
comes  in  Search  of  the  Naturalist.  —  The  Hercules  Beetle. 

—  Centipedes.  —  Scorpions.  — An  Unnamed  Palm  with  Edi- 
ble Seeds.  — A  Priestess  of  Obeah.  —  African  Witchcraft.  — 

Its  Stronghold. — Prostrated  by  the  Heat.  —  Fever    .     .     .  147 

CHAPTER  XI. 

A  CRUISE  IN  THE   HURRICANE  SEASON. 

An  Experiment  in  Coffee  Culture. — The  Pest  of  the  Cof- 
fee Plant.  —  Liberian  Coffee  versus  Mocha.  —  An  African 
Disease.  —  Gathering  in  the  Sick.  —  Down  the  Caribbean 
Coast.  —  The  Flame-Tree.  —  The  Orchard  of  Limes.  — 
Profits  of  Lime  Culture.  —  The  Maroon  Party.  — The  Stam- 
pede. —  Farewell  to  Dominica.  —  Coral  Islands.  —  An  Im- 
mense Game  Preserve.  —  "  The  Doctor."  —  The  Jiggers.  — 
New  Birds.  — A  Weary  Voyage.  —  Seasons  of  the  Tropics. 

—  Tempests.  —  Calms.  —  Provisions  Exhausted.  —  Turkey 
or  Jackass.  —  Shark.  —  Odors  of  Spices.  —  The  Tornado.  — 
Hurricane  Birds.  —  Pitons  of  St.  Lucia.  —  St.  Vincent.  — 
Palm  Avenue.  —  The  Spa.  —  Hospitable  People.  —  Basaltic 
Cliffs.  —  Richmond  Vale.  —  Falls  of  Balleine.  —  The  Water- 
spout   163 


CONTENTS.  XIU 

CHAPTER  XII. 
A  CAMP  IN  A  CRATER. 

The  Last  of  the  Volcanoes. — The   Soufrieie  of  St.  Vincent. 

—  The  "Invisible  Bird."  —  Ascending  the  Volcano. — The 
"  Dry  River."  — Bird's-Eye  View  of  St.  Vincent.  —  The  Old 
Crater.  —  The  New  Crater.  —  The  Lake  in  the  Bowels  of 
the  Earth.  —  In  the  Cave.  —  Sunset.  —  Preparing  for  the 
Night.  —  Toby.  —  Five  Days  and  Nights  of  Misery.  —  Fauna 
of  a  Mountain-Top.  —  Exploring  the  Crater-Brim.  —  Yuccas 
and  Wild  Pines. — Toby  in  the  Cave's  Mouth. — A  Terror- 
stricken  African. — Jacob's  Well.  —  Snakes  and  Pitfalls. — 
Toby's  "  Stock." — The  Soufriere-Bird. — A  Mysterious  Song- 
ster. —  Unavailing  Attempts  to  Procure  it.  —  Sought  for  a 
Century.  —  A  Dream.  —  Nasal  Blasts.  —  Searching  for  the 
Bird.  —  The  Carib  Bird-Call.  —  The  Capture.  —  A  New  Bird. 

—  A  Plunge  into  Darkness.  —  Scared  by  a  Snake.  —  Toby 
Desperate.  —  Departure  for  Carib  Country 184 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

TRADITIONAL   LORE. —A  MISADVENTURE. 

Carib  Country.  —  Sandy  Bay.  —  Captain  George.  —  Captain 
George's  Family.  —  His  Superstitions.  — A  Carib  Romance. 
— A  Love  Test.  —  Courtship  and  Marriage.  —  Preparing  Cas- 
sava.—  Farine. — An  Indian  Invention. —  The  Obeah  Charm. 

—  The  Carib  Wars.  —  A  Brave  Coward.  —  The  Caribs  Cap- 
tured.—  Sent  to  Coast  of  Honduras. —  The  Survivors. —  The 
Seminoles.  —  A  Parallel.  — Carib  Song.  —  Captain  George's 
Treasure. — A  Misadventure.  —  Balliceaux.  —  A  Search  for 
Skulls.  —  Battowia.  —  The  "  Moses  Boat."  —  The  Monster 
Iguana.  —  The  Cave. — The  Tortoise.  —  A  Relic  of  a  Fast 
Age. — Tropic  Birds.  —  Our  Boat  Smashed.  —  A  Night  on 
the  Beach. — The  Southern  Cross.  —  Paul  and  Virginia. — 
Church  Island 208 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

A  MONTH   ON  A   SUGAR  ESTATE. 

Out  of  the  Forest.  —  Into  a  Sick-Bed.  —  My  Good  Angel. — 
Convalescence.  —  Rutland  Vale.  —  The  Happy  Valley.  — 
Nocturnal   Neighbors. — The   Labor   Question.  —  A  Plant- 


XIV  CONTENTS. 

er's  Trials.  —  Coolie  Immigration.  —  The  Negro,  returning 
to  Savagery. — A  Self-appointed  Phj'sician. — Government 
House.  —  Trees  of  the  Tropics.  —  Bread-Fruit  and  Cocoa- 
Palm.  —  First  Experience  with  Bread-Fruit.  —  Its  Appear- 
ance. —  Taste.  —  History  of  its  Introduction.  —  Abundance 
fn  St.  Vincent.  —  The  Palms,  their  Great  Beauty  and  Utjl- 
ity. —  Cocoa-Palm,  Palmiste,  Groo-groo  and  Gris-gris,  Areca 
and  Mountain  Palms.  —  The  Vine  with  Perforated  Leaves. 

—  The  Indian  Maiden 229 

CHAPTER  XV. 

GRENADA  AND  THE  GRENADINES. 

Bequia.  —  Contented  Islanders.  —  The  "  Bequia  Sweet."  — 
Carib  Anecdote.  —  Union  Island.  —  Canouan.  —  An  Ener- 
getic Patriarch.  —  Cariacou.  —  On  the  Ancient  Contiguity 
of  the  Lesser  Antilles. —  The  Lost  Atlantis. —  "  What  if 
these  Reefs  were  her  Monument?"  —  A  Glance  at  the  Map. 

—  An  Isolated 'Geographical  and  Zoological  Province. — 
Grenada.  —  St.  George's.  —  More  Craters.  —  The  Carenage. 

—  The  Forts.  —  The  Lagoon.  —  The  "Eurydice." — Iguanas. 

—  Their  Habits.  —  Iguana-Shooting. — Oysters  growing  on 
Trees.  —  Columbus  and  his  Pearls.  —  Lizards.  —  A  Mission- 
ary's Grief.  —  Food  of  the  Iguana.  —  The  Mangrove.  — 
Cacao.  —  Its  Discovery.  — Present  Range.  —  Its  Cultivation. 

—  Cacao  River.  —  Cocoa  and  Cacao.  —  The  Tree.  —  The 
Fruit.  —  The  Flower.  —  Idle  Negroes.  —  Chocolate.  —  For- 
est Rats.  —  Monkeys.  —  Their  Depredations.  —  An  Insult    .  345 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

A  MONKEY  HUNT  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

Zones  of  Vegetation.  —  Naked  Negroes.  —  The  Road  to  the 
Mountains.  —  The  Grand  Etang.  —  Quadrupeds  of  the 
Lesser  Antilles,  Extinct  and  Living.  —  The  Alco.  —  Pec- 
cary. —  Agouti.' —  Manacou.  —  Armadillo.  —  Raccoon.  — A 
Visit  to  the  "Tatouay  Traps."— The  Forest  surrounding 
the  Mountain  Lake.  —  "  Haginamah":  Is  it  a  Carib  Word? 

—  "  Hog-in-armor,"  not  a  Carib  Word.  —  "  Le  Morne  des 
Sauteurs."  —  The  Plantain  Swamp.  —  Signs  of  Monkeys. — 
The  Monkeys*  Ladder.  —  HabiU  of  Wild  Monkeys.  —The 


CONTENTS.  XV 

Mammie  Apple.  —  In  Ambush.  —  Feathered   Companions. 

—  The  Bete  Rouge.  —  An  Aged  Monkey.  —  His  Caution.  — « 
Descending  the  Ladder.  —  Monkeys,  giddy  and  grave.  — 
Counting  his  Flock.  —  The  Monkey  recognizes  a  Brother. 

—  "Shoot!  Shoot!"  —  A  Free  Circus.  —  A  Man,  and  a 
Brother.  —  The  Monkey-Mamma.  —  Her  Terror.  —  An  Im- 
politic Imp 263 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

SOME   SUMMER  DAYS   IN  MARTINIQUE. 

From  Crusoe's  Island,  North.  —  Frowning  Cliffs.  —  Golden 
Sands.  —  Birth  of  a  Rainbow.  —  St.  Pierre.  —  The  Volcano. 
—  Our  Consul.  —  "Old  Farmer's  Almanack,"  good  for  any 
Latitude.  —  French  Breakfasts.  —  "  Long  Toms."  —  The 
Widow  and  her  Weed. —  Patois.  —  Costumes. —  Good  Claret. 

—  Poor  Calico.  —  Market- Women  and  Washer- Women.  — 
Gaudy  Garments.  —  Profusion  of  Ornaments. — Jardin  des 
Plantes.  —  The  Shrine  and  the  Traveler's  Tree.  —  Creole 
Dueling-Ground.  —  Palm  Avenues.  —  The  Cascade.  —  Sago 
and  Areca  Palms.  —  The  Lake.  —  Land-Snails:  —  Lizards. — 
Tarantulas.  —  The  Lance-Head  Snake." — Venomous  and 
Vengeful.  —  The  Mountain  Region.  —  Hot  Springs. — An 
Extinct  Volcano.  —  A  Holy  City.  —  Sabbath  in  the  Coun- 
try.—  Warned  of  Snakes.  —  Have  Alligator  Boots.  —  The 
Humble  Shrine. —  A  Shriek. —  Narrow  Escape. —  The  Crafty 
Serpent 280 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  BIRTHPLACE   OF  THE   EMPRESS  JOSEPHINE. 

Fort  de   France.  —  The   Park.  —  Tamarinds   and   Mangos.  — 
Statue  of  Josephine.  —  The  Trois  Pitons.  —  Historic  Hills. 

—  Coronation.  —  Inscription. — An  Earthquake. —  Terror.  — 
Parents  of  Josephine.  —  Her  Grandmother.  —  Alexander  de 
Beauharnais.  — A  Valuable  Document.  —  Marriage  Register 
of  Josephine's  Parents.  —  Bungling  Biographers.  —  Musty 
Memoirs.  —  Fort  Royal  Bay. —  The  Passage-Boat  "John." — 
Trois-Ilets. ' — 1*he  Boulanger.  —  A  Festive  Father.  —  A  Din- 
ner in  Jeopardy.  —  A  Low  Couch.  —  A  High  Bill.  —  Church 
in  which  Josephine  was  Baptized.  —  A  Tablet  to  her  Moth- 


XVI  CONTENTS. 

er's  Memory.  —  La  Pagerie,  Birthplace  of  Josephine.  — 
The  Hurricane.  —  The  Roof  that  Sheltered  an  Empress. — 
Ground  her  Feet  had  Pressed.  —  Youth  of  Josephine.  — 
Another  Shock.  —  The  Negro  Barracks.  —  The  Empress* 
Bath.  —  One  Hundred  Years  ago  !  —  The  Sibjl.  —  The 
Humming-Bird. — In  Peril  from  a  Serpent. — A  Peaceful 
Scene.  —  A  Rude  Awakening.  —  The  River  Comes  Down.  — 
Earthquake  again.  —  Rags  and  Melancholy 298 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

ASCENT  OF  THE   GUADELOUPE  SOUFRIERE. 

Point  a  Pitre. — The  Riviere  Sal6e.  —  Usines.  —  Earthquake, 
Fire,  and  Hurricane.  — A  Living  Bulwark.  — The  Caravels 
of  Columbus.  —  Our  Lady  of  Guadeloupe.  —  The  Caribs.  — 
Basse  Terre.  —  Le  Pere  Labat.  —  Orphans.  — The  Cholera 
Plague. — A  Perm  is  de  Chasse. — Mixed. — A  Horse  with 
Points.  —  Government  Square. — The  Convent.  —  A  Sum- 
mer Retreat.  —  Matouba.  —  My  Thatched  Hut.  —  Doctor 
Colardeau.  —  The  Coolie.  —  The  Coffee  Plantation.  —  First 
Coffee  in  the  West  Indies.  —  Its  Cultivation.  —  Temperature 
of  the  Coffee  Region.  —  Blossoms  and  Fruit.  —  Picking  and 
Preparing.  —  The  High-Woods.  —  Their  Grandeur.  —  Giant 
Trees.  —  Huge  Buttresses.  —  Lianas,  Ropes,  and  Cables.  — 
Epiphytes  and  Parasites.  —  Aerial  Gardens.  —  The  Sulphur 
Stream.— The  Cone.— The  Summit. —The  Portal.— Blasts 
of  Hot  Air.  —  Nature's  Arcana.  —  Sulphur  Crystals.  —  Erup- 
tions.— A  Grand  View. —  Impenetrable  Forests. — An  Extinct 
Bird.  — Juan  Ponce  de  Leon.  —  The  Fountain  of  Youth.  — 
The  Descent  into  Gloom 322 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Engraved  by  John  Andrew,  from  the  Aitthor's  Photographs  and  Sketchrs. 

PAGB 

The  Island  of  Cocoa  Palms Frontispiece. 

Roseau 9 

The  First  Camp 14 

Marie,  the  Naiad 31 

MuMMiNG-BiRD  Hunters 47 

Boiling  Lake  of  Dominica 53 

The  Tropic  Stream 59 

An  Indian  Kitchen 81 

Carib  Girl 86 

Ancient  Caribs 94 

The  Sacrificial  Stone 107 

The  Hunter's  Bath 117 

An  "  Ajoupa  " 121 

An  Army  of  Crabs 139 

Land  Crab 146 

The  Biggest  Bug  in  the  World 155 

A  Group  of  Gamins 173 

xvii 


XVlll  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

VOLCAKO   AND   LaVA    RiVER   OF    St.    ViNCENT 1S4 

Toby 206 

A  Family  Group  of  Indians 211 

The  Indian  Zemi      .   ,    .   .* 223 

Bread-Fruit  and  Cocoa-Palm 237 

The  Groo-groo  Palm 242 

Saint  George's,  Capital  of  Grenada 2^3 

The  Lake  in  a  Crater 265 

Palmiste  —  Glory  of  the  Mountains 279 

Creole  Costumes  and  Head-Dress 2S6 

A  Market  Woman  . 287 

The  Wayside  Shrine 289 

The  Widow  and  her  Weed 295 

Birthplace  of  Josephine 302 

The  Early  Home  of  an  Empress 313 

Point  a  Pitre,  Guadeloupe 323 

The  Guadeloupe  Soufrierb 341 


CAMPS  IN  THE  CARIBBEES. 


-^ 


CHAPTER  I. 

DOMINICA. 

THE  MYSTERIOUS  OCEAN  CURRENT.  —  DOMINICA  AND  COLUM- 
BUS. —  ROSEAU  AND  ANTHONY  TROLLOPE.  —  A  WEST-INDIAN 
TOWN.  —  INTRODUCTION  TO  TROPICAL  SCENES.  —  THE  MOUN- 
TAINS. —  THE   FIRST   CAMP. 

ALONG  the  entire  group  of  the  Caribbee  Isles, 
sweeping  their  western  shores,  flows  a  strange, 
m3'sterious  current.  Not  subject,  apparently,  to  the 
law^s  that  govern  the  winds  and  tides  of  this  region, 
it  for  years  puzzled  and  baffled  the  ablest  navigators 
and  oldest  sailors.  Among  the  northernmost  of  these 
islands  large  ships  w^ere  often  sunk,  carried  by  the 
force  of  this  unseen  and  unsuspected  stream  upon 
sunken  reefs  or  barren  rocks.  Even  so  long  ago  as 
when  Columbus  was  making  his  voyages,  we  have 
on  record  that  he  was  detained  by  this  very  current 
among  these  same  islands. 

It  was  not  known  until  a  comparatively  recent 
period  that  it  was  the  outflow  of  a  mighty  river  —  no 
less  than  the  great  Orinoco — that  caused  all  this  dis- 
turbance of  waters,  and  that  dependent  upon  its  dif- 


2  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

ferent  stages  was  the  force  of  this  river  through  the 
sea  Though  my  first  experience  with  this  current 
was  in  January,  when  the  Orinoco  was  at  its  lowest, 
and  the  consequent  marine  flow  at  its  weakest  stage, 
I  yet  had  sufficient  proof  of  its  strength  to  understand 
how  it  was  that  vessels  of  all  sizes  were  sometimes 
many  days  in  making  ports  but  few  miles  apart. 

We  left  the  port  of  St.  Pierre,  Martinique,  for  that  of 
Roseau,  Dominica,  the  distance  being  less  than  thirty- 
five  miles,  and  the  channel  separating  the  islands  but 
twenty  in  width.  Late  in  the  afternoon  we  hoisted 
sail,  taking  a  fair  land-breeze  from  the  mountains 
and  getting  a  fresh  blow  from  the  trade-winds  draw- 
ing through  the  channel,  and  at  midnight  were  close 
under  the  southern  point  of  Dominica,  with  a  fair 
prospect,  when  I  went  below,  of  landing  early  in  the 
morning. 

The  captain,  a  good  fellow,  had  given  up  to  me,  as 
the  only  white  man  on  board  the  sloop,  the  only  berth 
the  cabin  afforded.  Into  that  I  crawled,  with  a  lurk- 
ing fear  of  centipedes  and  scorpions,  and  fell  asleep. 
Soon  the  wheezy  pumps  awoke  mc,  and  a  stream 
of  water  trickling  through  the  uncalked  deck  gave 
assurance  that  the  water  in  the  hold  was  being 
pumped  out.  As  this  process  was  repeated  ever}' 
half-hour,  my  sleep  was  not  so  sound  that  I  did  not 
frequently  visit  the  deck,  and  at  each  succeeding 
visit  note  with  alarm  that  the  land  line  grew  dimmer. 
Daylight  revealed  that  we  were  much  farther  away 
from  shore  than  at  midnight,  surely  drifting  to  the 
nort!i-west,  with  sail  flapping  idly  and  rudder  useless. 

The  sun  was  late  in  showing  himself,  for  he  had  to 
climb  well  up  the  heavens  ere  he  could  look  over  the 


DOMINICA.  3 

crest  of  the  mountain-ridge  that  showed  in  the  dis- 
tance cool  and  misty  ;  but  as  day  advanced,  and  the 
hour  of  noon  arrived,  the  cool  hours  of  morning  were 
more  than  compensated  for  by  the  intensity  of  the 
heat  radiated  from  tlie  glassy  sea,  —  a  heat  that  made 
itself  felt  with  a  glare  tliat  caused  every  one  on  board 
to  seek  earnestly  a  shady  spot. 

And  this  was  the  "tropic  sea"  on  which  we  were 
drifting, — the  sea  so  often  sung  by  the  poet,  the  sea 
we  had  often  contemplated  in  our  fanciful  dreaming 
in  more  northern  climes.  Like  many  an  object  of 
the  poet's  adoration,  it  is  far  pleasanter  to  look  upon 
through  his  eyes  than  through  visual  organs  of  your 
own.  Though  tlie  sun  and  sea  made  it  painful  to 
look  abroad,  there  was  nothing  offensively  new  and 
glaring  about  the  little  sloop,  that  wearied  the  eye 
with  bright  colors.  The  prevailing  color,  in  fact, 
was  that  of  the  wood  of  which  it  was  built,  the  native 
wood  of  the  island.  Tlie  knees  were  of  the  natural 
twist  and  bend  of  the  native  trees ;  the  deck  planking 
and  sheathing  were  likewise  of  the  native  wood  ;  the 
mast,  the  boom,  and  the  bowsprit  were  of  the  native 
woods  of  the  island  ;  and  captain  and  crew,  doubt- 
less, also  from  the  woods,  —  natives  fresh  from  the. 
native  woods  of  Dominica.  There  were  more  than 
twenty  people  of  color  lounging  in  various  attitudes 
about  the  deck.  They  seemed  wholly  indifferent  to 
the  fact  that  the  vessel  was  drifting  with  them  away 
from  the  island  ;  and  when  I  suggested  to  the  cap- 
tain that  he  utilize  this  material  at  the  oars,  there 
was  a  general  howl  of  indignation.  The  captain 
also  gazed  at  me  like  one  who  had  heard  informa- 
tion of  a  character  novel  and  startling,  and  informed 


4  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

me  that  what  I  proposed  was  not  only  useless,  but 
impossible. 

Struggle  against  the  current  of  the  mighty  Orinoco  I 
Attempt  to  baffle  the  wiles  of  a  power  unseen,  that 
always  had  acted  in  just  such  a  manner,  and  had 
carried  him  over  the  same  course  every  voyage  he 
had  made  !  It  would  be  preposterous  !  At  night,  the 
land-breeze  would  come  down  from  the  mountains, 
and  he  would  claw  in-shore  without  any  trouble  what- 
ever. 

Late  in  the  afternoon,  however,  we  descried  a  speck 
dancing  on  the  waves,  which  speck  was,  of  course,  a 
boat ;  and  in  that  boat,  when  it  reached  us,  I  engaged 
passage  for  the  shore,  my  unhappy  companions  drift- 
ing about  until  the  next  afternoon,  sometimes  in  sight, 
sometimes  lost  to  view  for  a  long  time.  As  we  neared 
shore  I  had  time  to  examine  the  character  of  tiie 
scenery  of  the  western  coast,  as  one  object  after 
another  was  unfolded,  and  the  mass  of  green  and 
blue  resolved  itself  into  wooded  hills,  narrow  valleys, 
and  misty  mountain-tops  that  reached  the  dOuds.  A 
planter's  house  gleamed  white  in  a  valley  ;  a  pebbly 
beach  stretched  between  high  bluffs,  with  a  grove 
of  cocoa  palms  half  hiding  a  village  of  rude  cabins 
along  its  border. 

I  was  approaching  an  island  of  historic  interest  and 
scenic  beauty,  of  which  the  events  of  one  and  the 
elements  of  the  other  are  little  known  to  the  world  at 
large.  It  is  the  first  island  upon  which  Columbus 
landed  on  iiis  second  voyage.  Having  been  first  seen 
on  Sunday,  it  was  called  by  him  Dominica^  and  this 
event  dates  from  the  3d  of  November,  1493.  Blest 
isle  of  the  Sabbath  day  !    Many  changes  has  it  known 


DOMINICA.  5 

since  the  great  navigator  first  saw  its  blue  mountains 
and  landed  upon  its  fragrant  strand. 

Does  it^not  read  like  a  fairy  tale,  this  second  voyage 
of  Columbus?  With  three  ships  and  fourteen  cara- 
vels, containing  fifteen  hundred  persons,  he  set  sail 
from  Cadiz,  touched  at  the  Canary  Isles,  and  then 
shaped  his  course  for  the  islands  of  the  Caribs,  of 
whose  prowess  and  fierce  nature  he  had  heard  many 
stories  from  the  mild  people  of  Hispaniola.  "  At  the 
dawn  of  day,  November  3d,  a  lofty  island  was  descried 
to  the  west.  As  the  ships  moved  gently  onward,  other 
islands  rose  to  sight,  one  after  another,  covered  with 
forests  and  enlivened  by  flights  of  parrots  and  other 
tropical  birds,  while  the  whole  air  was  sweetened 
by  the  fragrance  of  the  breezes  which  passed  over 
them." 

Dominica  is  but  thirty  miles  in  length  by  eleven  in 
breadth,  yet  presents  a  greater  surface  and  more  ob- 
stacles to  travel  to  the  square  mile  than  any  island  of 
similar  size  in  the  West  Indies.  Well  did  Columbus 
illustrate  its  crumpled  and  uneven  surface,  when,  in 
answer  to  his  queen's  inquiry  regarding  its  appear- 
ance, he  crushed  a  sheet  of  paper  in  his  hand  and 
threw  it  upon  the  table.  In  no  other  way  could  he 
better  convey  an  idea  of  the  furrowed  hills  and  moun- 
tains, deeply  cut  and  rent  into  ravines  and  hollowed 
into  valleys. 

"To  my  mind."  says  Anthony  TroUope,  "  Dominica, 
as  seen  from  the  sea,  is  by  far  the  most  picturesque 
of  all  these  islands.  Indeed,  it  would  be  hard  to  beat 
it  either  in  color  or  grouping.  It  fills  one  with  an 
ardent  desire  to  be  off  and  rambling  among  these 
mountains — as  if  one  could  ramble  through  such  wild 


6  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

bush  country,  or  ramble  at  all  with  the  thermometer 
at  eighty-five  degrees.  But  when  one  has  only  to 
think  of  such  things,  without  any  idea  of  doing  them, 
neither  the  bushes  nor  the  thermometer  are  consid- 
ered." In  this,  as  in  all  his  sketches,  Mr.  Trollope 
is  right  so  far  as  he  goes ;  but  he  does  not  go  far 
enough.  "Filled  with  an  ardent  desire,"  he  should 
have  given  those  woods  and  mountains  the  months  of 
camp-life  that  I  did ;  then  would  the  world  be  richer 
in  pictures  of  forest-life  and  mountain  scenery  that  my 
poor  pen  so  feebly  tries  to  portray.  As  one  writer, 
an  intelligent  geologist,  once  remarked  :  "  No  island 
in  these  seas  is  bolder  in  its  general  aspects,  more 
picturesque  and  more  beautiful  in  the  detail  of  its 
scenery  —  indeed,  one  might  be  tempted  to  say,  con- 
sidering its  fortunes,  that  it  has  the  fatal  gift  of 
beauty  !  " 

At  five  o'clock,  the  gun  in  the  fort  starts  off  the  bell 
in  the  cathedral  spire.  It  is  an  hour  before  daylight, 
and  even  at  six  the  mists  of  the  valleys  cover  all, 
even  to  the  mountain-tops.  The  sun  climbs  steadily, 
though  it  is  eight  o'clock  before  he  has  shown  his 
face  to  Roseau,  and  darts  over  the  mountain-tops  to 
windward  his  scorching  rays.  It  is  interesting  to 
watch  the  changes  that  come  over  the  mountain  sides 
and  valleys  as  the  sun  dissipates  the  morning  mists. 
Lake  Mountain, /four  thousand  feet  in  height,  towers 
black  against  the  sky ;  five  miles  it  is  from  town,  yet 
seems  so  close  as  to  overshadow  it.  Its  head  is  veiled 
more  than  half  the  time  in  mist.  Stretching  away 
north  and  south  is  a  long  line  of  hills,  an  isolated  peak 
jutting  up  at  intervals.  Their  summits  are  blue  and 
purple  in  the  distance.     Within  this  line  is  a  cordon 


DOMINICA.  7 

of  hills,  with  valle3's  deep  and  dark  behind,  half  en- 
circling the  town.  These  lulls  are  broken  and  ragged, 
seamed  and  furrowed  and  scarred,  yet  are  covered 
with  a  luxuriant  vegetation  of  every  shade  of  green  : 
purple  of  mango  and  cacao,  golden  of  cane  and  lime, 
orange  and  citron.  Palms  crown  their  ridges,  culti- 
vated grounds  infrequently  gleam  golden-brown  on 
their  s'opes,  and  dense  clouds  come  pouring  over 
their  crests  from  the  Atlantic.  North  and  south  this 
bulwark  of  hills  ends  in  huge  cliffs  plunged  into  the 
sea.  Roseau  is  seated  at  the  mouth  of  a  valley  formed 
by  a  river.  From  the  centre  of  this  valley  there  rises 
a  hill  —  a  mountain  it  is  called  here — Morne  Bruce. 

From  its  smoothly-turfed  crown  the  view  of  town 
and  sea  is  superb,  especially  at  sunset,  Vvhen  the  sun 
sinks  beyond  the  Caribbean  Sea,  and  the  cool  even- 
ing breeze  plays  through  the  trees.  From  it  we  look 
upon  the  town  ;  many  palm-trees,  few  houses,  a  rush- 
ing, roaring  river  that  meets  the  sea  in  a  surf-line  like 
a  northern  snowdrift,  a  picturesque  fort,  the  jail,  the 
government  house,  and  the  Catholic  cathedral  —  a 
building  of  stone,  with  arched  windows  and  door- 
ways, short,  though  shapely  spire  —  with  a  palm  tall 
and  slender,  to  lend  grace  and  beauty ;  westward, 
beyond  the  shore-line,  the  Caribbean  Sea,  its  bosom, 
which  glowed  so  fierily  in  the  sunlight,  now  cool  and 
invitin£r  in  its  stillness. 

Looking  eastward,  one  can  see  far  into  the  Roseau 
Valley,  to  the  wall  of  mountains,  from  which  dashes 
out  a  great  waterfall,  dwindled  to  a  mere  silver  thread 
in  the  distance.  The  Roseau  River  emerges  into  a 
plain  beneath,  a  valley  filled  with  cane,  containing  in 
its  centre  a  planter's  house  and  buildings  palm-sur- 


8  CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 

rounded,  dashes  over  its  rocky  bed  with  a  roar  that 
reaches  our  ears  even  at  this  height  of  several  hun- 
dred feet,  and  runs  at  the  foot  of  a  lygh  white  cliff 
across  another  plantation  into  the  sea,  peaceful  enough 
at  the  end. 

The  streets  of  Roseau  are  straight,  paved  with  rough 
stone,  and  they  never  echo  to  the  sound  of  wheels. 
They  cross  at  right  angles  and  dwindle  down  to  three 
bridle-paths  leading  out  of  the  town,  one  north  and  one 
south,  along  the  coast,  and  one,  narrow  and  tortuous, 
over  the  mountains  to  the  eastward.  Most  of  the 
houses  are  one-storied  boxes  of  wood,  with  bonnet 
roofs,  sixteen  b}'  twenty  feet ;  many  in  a  state  of  de- 
cay, with  tattered  sides,  bald  spaces  without  shingles, 
and  dragging  doors  and  shutters.  Every  street,  how- 
ever, is  highly  picturesque  with  this  rough  architect- 
ure, and  with  cocoa  palms  lining  and  terminating  the 
vistas.  The  town  is  green  with  fruit-trees,  and  over 
broken  roofs  and  garden  walls  of  roughest  masonry 
hang  many  strange  fruits.  Conspicuous  are  the 
mango,  orange,  lime,  pawpaw,  plantain,  banana,  and 
tamarind.  Over  all  tower  the  cocoa  palms,  their  long 
leaves  quivering,  their  dense  clusters  of  gold-green 
nuts  drooping  with  their  weight. 

From  tiie  mountains,  from  the  "  Sweet  River,"  comes 
the  purest  of  water,  led  in  pipes  through  all  the  streets, 
and  gushing  out  in  never-ceasing  flow  from  the  sea 
wall  on  the  shore.  The  market,  near  the  south  end 
of  the  town,  a  small  square  surrounded  by  stores,  is 
the  centre  of  attraction  on  Saturdays,  wlien  it  is  dense- 
ly packed  with  country  people,  black  and  yellow,  who 
come,  some  of  them,  from  points  a  dozen  miles  dis- 
tant, each  with    his  bunch    of  plantains,  or  tray  of 


DOMINICA.  p 

bread-fruit.  All  are  chattering,  so  that  there  is  a  very 
babel  of  sounds.  Little  stalls,  temporarily  erected, 
contain  most  villainous  salt  fish,  ancient  and  vile- 
smelling,  and  ever}^  few  feet  is  a  table,  presided  over 
by  a  contented  wench,  who  has  for  sale  cakes  and 
sweetmeats  of  her  own  manufacture. 


JlOSEAU. 


Near  the  market  is  the  fort,  a  low  stone  structure, 
pierced  with  loopholes,  commanding  from  its  high 
bluiTthe  roadstead,  in  which,  save  the  trading-vessels 
and  the  -weekly  steamer,  there  are  seldom  any  craft 
besides  the  sugar-vessels.  Near  the  fort  is  the  Eng- 
lish church,  wit]\  a  clock  in  its  face,  and  four  magnifi- 
cent palmistes  to  guard  its  entrance.      Adjoining  is  the 


JEO  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

government  house  in  a  garden  of  flowers ;  and  near, 
the  court-house,  ot" stone,  yellow  and  low.  Opposite, 
on  a  bluff  overlooking  the  sea,  is  the  public  garden, 
neatly  enclosed,  tastefully  ornamented ;  a  few  large 
trees,  many  roses,  humming-birds,  butterflies,  and  a 
grand  view  of  the  soa.  The  road  leads  by  a  broad 
green  savane,  near  which  is  a  ruined  cemetery,  down 
between  long  rows  of  lowly  cabins,  its  bed  green  and 
grassy,  within  a  stone's  throw  of  the  surf  on  the  pebbly 
beach. 

This  is  Roseau,  which  I  left  one  March  morning 
for  the  mountains.  Earl}'  came  the  women,  who  were 
sent  by  a  kind  friend  to  carry  my  luggage :  heavy 
boxes  and  bales  they  had  engaged  to  carry  to  the 
mountains  on  their  heads.  It  was  all  the  way  as- 
cending, but  they  faithfully  performed  their  duties, 
nor  once  complained.  Astride  an  island  colt,  the 
loan  of  another  friend,  and  accompanied  by  still 
another,  whom  I  had  met  a  few  days  before,  1  left 
behind  me  the  town,  and  set  my  face  to  the  moun- 
tains. 

Down  the  street,  past  the  jail,  across  the  river  over 
an  excellent  bridge,  under  the  cliffs  of  St.  Aromant, 
into  the  banana  and  citron  groves  that  lie  at  the  moun- 
tain's ba^e  ;  then  up  higher  and  higher,  the  path  grow- 
ing rocky  and  slippery,  past  the  lovely  valley  of 
Shawford,  where  the  house  of  my  friend  Sledman, 
built  upon  a  small  plateau,  surrounded  by  hills,  em- 
bowered in  limes  and  plantains,  overlooks  a  tropical 
garden.  A  mile  above,  we  entered  a  deep  ravine, 
where  are  the  first  perfect  tree-ferns  on  the  trail ;  the 
gorge  is  filled  with  them,  and  the  banks  along  the 
path  are  covered  with  smaller  ones,  infinitely  beautiful. 


DOMINICA.  II 

Here  I  first  heard  the  melody  of  the  "  solitaire."  Long 
since,  the  air  of  the  town,  hot  and  parching,  had  given 
place  to  cool  and  delicious  breezes.  We  went  out 
under  the  shade  of  trees,  passing  many  a  trickling 
stream,  until  an  elevation  of  nearly  two  thousand  feet 
was  reached,  wlien  we  heard  voices,  and  suddenly 
came  upon  a  party  of  mountaineers  (half  Carib,  half 
negro),  naked  to  the  waist,  hatless,  and  armed  each 
with  his  machete^  or  "  cutlass,"  over  two  feet  in  length. 
They  saluted  us  politely,  however,  and  we  passed  on 
until  near  the  "  high  woods,"  when  we  turned  to  the 
right  and  rode  down  a  narrow  trail  under  large  trees, 
and  reached  finally  a  narrow  gate  of  bars  in  a  tall 
hedge  of  oleander. 

Descending  rapidly  from  the  forest  was  an  open 
space  of  a  hundred  acres,  perliaps,  sloping  westward, 
green  as  a  sward  of  guinea-grass  could  make  it. 
Over  this  were  scattered  volcanic  rocks  and  clumps 
of  trees.  This  slope  terminated  abruptly  in  a  cliff"  so 
steep  that  the  people  living  here  could  not  descend 
except  by  a  long  detour.  Over  this  cliff' fell  the  water- 
fall we  saw  in  coming  up.  Deep  ravines  seamed  it  at 
intervals,  all  trending  toward  the  valley  wall,  and  on 
all  sides  but  this  were  nothing  but  forest  and  hills. 

From  one  of  the  mountaineers  I  secured  a  cabin, 
one  of  the  seven  comprising  this  little  hamlet,  and 
before  nightf^ill  had  comfortably  established  myself. 
My  companion  then  left  me  alone  to  what  proved  but 
the  first  of  many  camps  in  tropical  forests. 


12  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 


CHAPTER    II. 

CAMP   LIFE    IN    THE   TROPICS. 

A  MARCH  MORNING.  —  MATIN   MUSIC.  —  JEAN  BAPTISTE.  —  SONNY. 

—  BREAKFAST  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS.  —  QUEER  CUSTOMS.  —  DE- 
LIGHTFUL TEMPERATURE  FOR  MARCH.  —  THE  HUNT  FOR  BIRDS. 

—  A  day's  duties.  —  STRANGE  BIRDS  AND  SCENERY.  —  THE 
"TREMBLEUR." — A  PRECIPICE.  —  AN  ORGAN-BIRD,  THE  "MOUN- 
TAIN WHISTLER."  —  BIRD  NOTES.  —  MY  CHASSEURS.  —  LAND 
CRABS.  —  ARDENT   ASSISTANTS.  —  TWILIGHT. 

IT  is  a  bright  March  morning.  As  I  throw  open  the 
shutters  of  my  shanty  and  let  in  the  light  of  early 
day,  I  look  out  upon  a  scene  of  loveliness  that  it  were 
worth  many  a  day's  journey  to  enjoy. 

From  beyond  the  mountains,  east,  the  sun  has 
climbed  a  little  way  until  he  peers  through  a  defile  in 
the  hills,  and  a  rift  in  the  cloud  masses,  and  floods 
only  a  narrow  pathway  down  the  surrounding  hills, 
their  northern  slopes,  a  bit  of  the  gloomy  valley  miles 
below,  and  bursts  upon  the  calm  Caribbean  Sea  with 
concentrated  glory.  A  sail,  floating  on  that  sea,  drifted 
hither  and  thither  by  strong,  unaccountable  currents, 
—  which  came,  perchance,  from  Martinique  or  Bar- 
bados to  the  south,  or  from  Guadeloupe  or  Montserrat 
to  the  north, —  is  ablaze  with  light,  which  gives  it 
the  appearance  of  being  on  fire.  No  sound  comes 
up  from  the  valley  below,  nor  from  the  surrounding 
mountain  sides ;  even  the  rain  frogs  and  the  nocturnal 


CAMP    LIFE    IN    THE    TROPICS.  I3 

cicadcB  have  closed  their  concerts  and  have  left  it  to  the 
birds  to  usher  in  the  matin  hour  ;  and  they  are  singing 
in  low,  sweet  strains  far  down  in  the  gloomy  ravines 
below,  and  in  the  thickets  bordering  distant  glades. 

My  first  duty  is  to  examine  my  thermometer.  It 
registers  sixty-eight  degrees.  That  recorded,  I  step 
out  and  refresh  myself  with  such  ablution  as  can  be 
enjoyed  from  a  small  calabash  of  rain-water.  Soon,  a 
little  colored  maiden  appears  bearing  a  tray  with  my 
coffee,  and  perhaps  a  cup  of  milk  —  oftener  without. 
A  cup  of  coffee  and  a  slice  of  bread  or  a  couple  of 
crackers,  is  my  only  refreshment  until  noon,  when  I 
return  from  my  tramp  in  the  forest. 

When  I  first  came  to  this  mountain  valley  I  brought 
with  me  a  bright,  colored  boy  as  aid,  fondly  hop- 
ing he  would  be  of  much  assistance  in  preparing  my 
birds,  as  well  as  in  the  culinary  line.  But,  alas  !  in 
either  profession  he  was  singularly  deficient,  and  save 
in  the  preservation  of  cooked  provisions,  —  in  other 
words,  "to  keep  food  from  spoiling,"  —  he  was  of  no 
use  whatever.  After  three  days  passed  in  his  society 
we  parted.  There  was  also  a  question  between  him  and 
Jean  Baptiste  (the  proprietor  of  my  humble  cot),  relat- 
ing to  a  few  small  articles  that  one  night  disappeared. 
Now,  he  was  highly  incensed  that  such  a  thing 
should  happen  within  the  limits  of  his  jurisdiction,  and 
made  such  a  row  about  it  that  I  concluded  that  it  were 
best  that  "  Sonny  "  and  I  should  part,  —  with  no  regrets 
on  my  part,  none  expressed  on  his,  —  for  the  laboring 
class  of  the  West  Indies  accept  stoically  whatever  fate 
drops  to  them  as  their  share.  The  salary  I  was  pay- 
ing him  was  princely,  being  sixpence  a  day  and"  found,'* 
while  the  usual   remuneration   for  such  service  as  he 


H 


CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 


afforded  me  was  i^rce  -pcncc^  and  if  "  fourtd,"  it  was 
usually  after  a  long  search.  Baptiste  accepted  the  ex- 
pression of  confidence  that  this  act  of  mine  implied, 
and  took  me  at  once  under  his  protection  and  care ; 
hence  it  is  that  the  little  maiden  aforesaid  appears  in 
the  morning  with  my  coffee ;  at  noon,  when  I  return 
weary  from  the  hunt,  with  a  dish  of  eggs  fried  in  oil 
zxid.  yam  sauvagc,  and  at  dusk  with  the  same,  varied 
with  a  plate  of  mountain-cabbage,  or  salad,  from  the 
little  wattle-enclosed  garden  on  the  hillside. 

The  cabin  of  Bap- 
tiste is  not  far  from 
mine,  and  my  wants 
are  promptly  supplied 
when  the  hour  ar- 
rives for  meals,  even 
almost  anticipated. 
But  there  are  many 
things  connected  with 
the  attendance  of  my 
little  cook  and  waiter 
that,  in  the  light  of 
my  early  education 
in  New  England, 
seem,  to  say  the  least, 
queer.  For  instance, 
when  the  knives  and 
forks  require  clean- 
ing, their  surplus 
coating  is  removed 
by  being  brought  in 
close  contact  with  the 
skirts  of  her  garment.  I  say  garment^  and  use  the 
word  in  the  singular  advisedly. 


CAMP    LIFE    IN    THE    TROPICS.  I5 

The  spoons  also  are  cleaned  in  the  same  way,  and 
were  it  not  that  my  eyes  had  beheld  the  process  of 
polishing,  I  should  not  believe,  as  they  nestled  inno- 
cently together  on  the  rough  table,  but  that  they  had 
been  subjected  to  the  treatment  customary  in  more  civil- 
ized communities.  My  tin  camp-cup,  which  has  accom- 
panied me  in  all  my  camp-life,  was  often  the  object  of 
her  attention,  and  at  that  time  it  was  doubtful  to  me 
whether  she  was  washing  the  cup  with  her  fingers  or 
rinsing  her  fingers  in  the  cup.  At  any  rate,  it  shows 
a  laudable  desire  to  have  my  table  furniture  in  good 
order,  and  I  do  not  murmur ;  but  there  is  a  cake  of 
soap  and  a  towel  that  I  keep  concealed  from  her  sharp 
eyes,  that,  when  not  observed,  I  bring  into  frequent  use 
on  those  same  objects  of  her  devotion.  One  day  I  was 
incautious  enough  to  peer  into  the  culinary  department 
—  a  palm-thatched  structure,  black  and  grimy  with 
smoke  which  escaped  from  the  fire  on  the  ground,  as 
best  it  could,  through  the  roof.  Only  once  !  I  did  not 
wish  again  to  view  those  ancient  pots  and  kettles,  the 
refuse  of  preceding  feasts,  nor  to  fight  my  way  through 
the  drove  of  hogs  that  trooped  about  the  open  door. 

Occasionally  the  thought  obtrudes  itself,  "They  do 
not  have  things  like  this  in  the  States."  This  often 
makes  me  sad,  but  I  raise  my  eyes,  perhaps,  and  look 
out  over  the  green  slope,  down  upon  the  valley  burst- 
ing with  palms,  and  beyond  the  hills  to  the  peaceful 
sea  smiling  in  sunshine  ;  and  I  exult  in  the  thought 
that  these  enjoyments  far  outweigh  the  little  annoy- 
ances that  I  have  described.  And  I  take  down  the 
thermometer  and  find  that  it  records,  if  morning,  six- 
ty-eight to  seventy  degrees;  if  noon,  seventy-six  de- 
grees ;    if  evening,  seventy  degrees.       And  I  again 


l6  CAMPS    IN   THE   CARIBBEES. 

reflect,  ''They  can't  show  all  these  in  the  States  —  in 
March." 

But  effectually  to  escape  the  train  of  thought  that 
these  observations  might  give  rise  to,  I  take  my  gun, 
ammunition,  game-basket  and  note-book,  and  plunge 
into  one  of  the  lateral  ravines  that  feed  the  huge  gorge 
below.  It  is  morning.  The  bread-fruit,  mango,  and 
limes  that  thickly  stud  the  slope  above  are  glistening 
with  dew,  and  the  low  shrubs  that  line  the  ravine,  as 
well  as  the  taller  trees  that  darken  its  recesses,  are 
dropping  copious  showers.  I  am  following  the  dry 
bed  of  a  stream  that  shows,  by  huge  rocks  dislodged 
and  excavated  banks,  what  must  have  been  its  size  and 
force  in  the  rainy  season.  Ferns,  lycopodiums,  and 
matted  and  tangled  roots  conceal  the  earth  and  make 
every  footstep  a  doubtful  one,  and  the  loose  stones  and 
rocks,  witii  dark  holes  beneath  and  beside  them,  sug- 
gest most  forcibly  the  possibility  of  the  presence  of 
snakes.  But  I  am  looking  for  birds  (and  snakes 
also,  if  they  come  in  my  way),  and  do  not  give  them 
the  attention  that  once  I  thought  I  should,  when  hear- 
ing tales  of  their  abundance  and  venomous  character 
in  these  islands.  As  this  is  a  search  for  birds,  the 
snakes  shall  be  left  for  some  future  chapttr. 

It  is  well  known  that  each  species  of  bird  has  its 
own  peculiar  haunt,  where  it  feeds,  sings,  and  sports 
itself.  It  has  also  a  different  haunt  for  different  por- 
tions of  the  day,  and  the  birds  of  the  morning  which 
we  find  in  the  ravine  may  be,  in  the  evening,  feeding 
or  singing  on  the  borders  of  open  glades,  or  higher  up 
the  mountain  sides.  At  mid-day  you  will  find  all 
under  cover  of  the  densest  shade,  and  silent.  It  is  in 
the  morning  that  they  may  be  found  in  localities  char- 


CAMP    LIFE    IN    THE    TROPICS.  If 

acteristic  of  them.  The  first  bird  tliat  greets  me  on 
the  edge  of  the  ravine  is  the  humming-bird,  as  he 
dashes  here  and  there  from  flower  to  flower,  scatter- 
ing the  dew-drops  in  tiny  showers,  and  reflecting  al- 
most prismatic  hues  from  breast  and  back.  There  are 
three  kinds  here  in  this  mountain  valley,  the  smallest 
of  which  has  a  lovely  crest  of  metallic  green ;  the 
largest,  with  a  length  of  five  inches,  and  stretch  of 
wing  of  seven  and  a  half,  has  a  gorgeous  garnet  throat, 
purple  back  and  wings,  and  tail  of  green,  reflecting 
most  delightful  hues.  The  prevailing  hue  of  the  other 
species  is  green,  with  a  throat  sometimes  green,  some- 
times blue. 

I  leave  the  humming-birds  to  my  little  chasseurs^ 
who  with  bird-lime  catch  for  me  all  I  want.  Of  them 
more  anon  ;  let  us  plunge  into  the  ravine.  A  move- 
ment in  the  branches  of  a  tall,  slender  tree  claims  at- 
tention. I  look  up  ;  see  nothing.  The  broad,  glossy 
leaves  vibrate  again,  and  I  discern  above  the  lower 
branches  a  bird  the  size  and  shape  of  our  brown 
thrush ;  he  has  a  long,  stout  beak,  a  yellow  eye,  and 
a  glossy,  brown  coat.  He  hops  from  twig  to  twig, 
feeding  upon  the  coffee-like  berries  of  this  strange 
tree,  silent,  engaged  in  the  gleaning  of  his  morning 
meal.  But  however  intent  upon  securing  those  white 
berries,  the  husks  of  which  he  drops  almost  upon  my 
head,  he  does  not  forget  to  stop  every  few  seconds  and 
shake  his  wings  and  jerk  his  tail  in  a  most  comical 
manner.  A  hop,  a  quiver  of  wings  and  tail ;  a  skip, 
with  accompanying  shake  all  over ;  a  jump,  with  a 
convulsive  shake,  quivering  and  spasmodic  twitching 
of  head,  wings,  and  tail.  As  I  watch  this  inter- 
esting bird   1    am  conscious   of  the  presence  of  an- 

2 


l8  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

Other,  and  of  several  others  also,  which  when  they 
meet  go  through  the  most  laughable  series  of  bows, 
quivering  of  wings  and  caudatory  vibrations.  Well 
has  this  bird  earned  the  title — universal,  I  believe, 
throughout  the  West  Indies  —  of  Trcmblcur. 

And  now,  tlie  trembleurs  having  been  attended  to, 
I  push  on  till  I  reach  the  brink  of  a  precipice.  A 
little  stream  that  falls  musically  over  the  rocks  and 
stones  suddenly  loses  itself  over  the  brow  of  this  wall 
of  green,  on  the  summit  of  which  I  stand.  Cautiously 
clinging  to  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  I  look  down  into  the 
valley.  The  sight  nearly  makes  me  dizzy,  for  there, 
five  hundred  feet  beneath  me,  I  see  tall  trees  as  little 
shrubs,  tananas  and  plantains  as  small  plants,  and 
huge  boulders  as  pebbles.  The  roots  I  am  standing 
on  overhang  the  precipice,  and  the  tree  shoots  out  far 
over  the  dizzy  height.  Above  the  sighing  of  the  wind 
in  the  tree-tops,  and  the  music  of  the  birds,  and  creak- 
ing of  branches,  is  a  roaring  of  water  falling  from  im- 
mense height  —  a  roar  that  drowns  every  other  noise, 
and  deafens  the  ear  to  every  other  sensation.  Wend- 
ing my  way  along  the  brink,  clinging  to  roots  and 
trees,  I  soon  reach  a  point  where  I  can  see,  half-way 
down  the  perpendicular  cliff,  a  sheet  of  foam ;  a  hun- 
dred yards  farther  another,  falling  from  a  lesser 
height,  yet  neither  less  than  one  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  —  the  higher  over  two  hundred. 

They  are  lost  in  a  sea  of  green,  reappearing  far- 
ther on  as  a  united  stream,  which  rushes  and  roars  over 
rocks,  through  gorges  and  at  the  base  of  mountains, 
through  gardens  of  figs  and  plantains,  beneath  tower- 
ing, feathery  palms,  through  green  fields  of  cane,  at 
last  to  reach  the  sea. 


CAMP    LIFE    IN     THE    TROPICS.  I9 

It  is  while  carefully  balancing  myself  on  my  shak- 
ing support  of  matted  roots,  that  a  sound  comes  to  my 
ear  through  the  roar  of  a  waterfall  —  a  sound  strange- 
ly sweet,  solemn,  and  impressive ;  a  mellow,  organ- 
like note,  clearer  than  any  flute-tone,  more  thrilling 
tiian  the  solemn  chant  of  sacred  song  in  groined  cathe- 
dral. It  is  repeated.  I  stand  entranced,  listening  to 
melody  that  had  never  fallen  on  my  ears  before. 
The  cause  I  cannot  at  first  ascertain,  for  the  notes 
seem  ventriloquial ;  and  indeed  the}^  are  so,  for  I  search 
high  and  low,  the  leafy  branches  above  my  head,  the 
densely  clustered  ferns  at  my  feet,  and  the  shrubs 
at  my  back,  for  many  minutes,  before  I  find  the 
source  of  this  mysterious  music.  Balanced  airily  on 
a  lance-like  bamboo  that  shot  twenty  feet  beyond  the 
brink  of  the  cliff",  poised  in  mid-air,  wdth  half  a  thou- 
sand feet  of  space  between  him  and  solid  earth,  is  a 
daintily-shaped  bird,  clad  in  sober  drab,  save  a  dash 
of  rouge  beneath  his  throat,  and  of  white  here  and 
there. 

Unconscious  of  surrounding  things,  animate  and 
inanimate,  he  was  devoting  his  powers  to  the  pro- 
duction of  that  wonderful  music.  In  the  short  space 
I  here  allot  to  myself  I  cannot  describe  the  different 
notes ;  surely  no  flute  ever  produced  such  mellow, 
liquid  tones.  It  was  music  of  unearthly  sweetness, 
that,  once  heard,  would  never  be  forgotten  —  between 
the  notes  a  long  pause,  that  made  them  most  im- 
pressive. It  was  not  a  song  —  though  I  discovered 
later  that  the  little  bird  had  a  song  —  but  simply  the 
utterance  of  a  few  notes.  Soon  it  ceased,  and  the  bird 
flew  into  the  near  forest,  where  I  soon  discovered  it 


20  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

busily  feeding  upon  the  berries  of  a  tall  shrub,  to  the 
pendant  branches  of  which  it  was  clinging,  now  and 
then  dashing  at  a  fugitive  bunch,  apparently  as  ab- 
sorbed in  this  occupation  as  in  his  melodious  lay  of  a 
few  minutes  before.  Soon  he  ceased  feeding,  and 
commenced  preening  himself  upon  a  naked  limb ; 
then,  after  smoothing  himself  out,  as  it  were,  and 
drawing  in  and  stretching  out  his  neck,  he  suddenly 
dashed  at  a  single  berry,  swallowed  it  to  clear  his 
throat,  and  recommenced  to  trill.  He  had  uttered 
but  a  few  notes  when  he:  silently  flew  to  a  dead  branch  ; 
a  few  more  and  he  winged  his  way  to  a  swinging 
"  liane,"  where  he  hung  suspended  above  a  little  ravine, 
in  which  is  sunk  a  tiny  stream,  whose  tinkling  waters 
made  music,  though  not  so  sweet  and  liquid  as  his. 
Then  he  disappeared  in  the  dark  recesses  of  the  forest, 
where  it  would  be  useless  to  follow  him,  but  whence 
came  at  intervals  the  ventriloquial  music  that  seemed 
to  float  over  my  head  and  around  me,  though  the  bird 
was  afar. 

This  bird  is  called  by  my  mountaineer  friends,  who 
have  a  name,  and  an  applicable  one,  for  everything 
in  the  forest,  the  "-5/^i:«r  Jfon/agnc"  or  ^'Mountain 
Whistler."  I  afterwards  had  one  in  captivity  for 
several  weeks,  and  notes  on  his  behavior,  song,  and 
food  would  fill  a  column  that  my  readers  might  think 
could  be  put  to  belter  use,  but  which  would  be  val- 
uable to  the  ornithologist  as  the  first  records  of  an 
intimate  acquaintance  with  this  species. 

But  let  us  go  on.  I  will  leave  the  deep  valley  be- 
hind me,  with  the  roar  of  the  waterfall  gradually  fall- 
ing, first  to  a  monotonous  hum,  then  ceasing  entirely, 
and  climb  the  bed  of  another  water-course,  now  dry. 


CAMP    LIFE    IN   THE    TROPICS.  21 

waiting  for  the  summer  rains.  Soon  I  emerge  into  a 
grassy  glade,  surrounded  by  mango,  coffee-trees,  and 
trees  resembling  the  live-oak.  The  mangos  are  bris- 
tling with  spikes  of  blossoms  —  white  with  them  —  but 
not  a  bird  nor  a  butterfly  is  hovering  above  them, 
though  the  surrounding  trees  and  shrubs  are  alive  with 
them.  This  is  a  fact  I  have  long  noticed,  that  the  mango 
is  ever  deserted,  though  adjacent  trees  may  be  vocal 
with  bird-music.  But,  flitting  across  this  green  glade, 
now  bright  under  the  rays  of  an  ever-brightening  sun, 
are  many  birds  ;  that  is,  many  for  this  island,  for  it  is 
not  abundant  in  species,  nor  in  numbers  either,  save  of 
the  humming-bird. 

There  is  a  tree  full  of  warblers  of  strange  species — of 
Sucri'cr,  or  sugar-bird  —  a  bird  resembling  our  yellow 
warbler  ;  several  of  the  more  strictly  fly-catching  birds, 
and  a  few  sparrows,  grosbecs,  and  blackbirds.  The 
three  species  of  humming-bird  are  well  represented, 
and  dash  hither  and  thither  seeking  their  favorite  food, 
indulging  in  mimic  battles  and  amorous  caresses.  I 
push  on,  after  an  hour's  stop,  perhaps,  over  a  rugged 
trail  made  by  the  halt-wild  cattle  as  they  travel  from 
glade  to  glade,  and  crossing  another  stream,  climbing 
a  hill,  and  descending  into  a  ravine,  I  climb  the  steep 
slopes  of  the  hill  on  which  my  cabin  is  perched.  Every- 
thing is  as  I  left  it  five  hours  before.  The  door,  which 
is  merely  kept  fastened  by  a  stick  braced  against  it, 
has  not  been  opened ;  but  I  find  on  the  floor  a  clus- 
ter of  oranges,  a  branch  of  fragrant  lime-flowers 
for  my  humming-birds,  and  a  tastefully  arranged  bunch 
of  roses  from  one  of  the  girls. 

While  I  am  putting  the  finishing  touches  to  my  bird- 
notes,  the  girl  comes  in  with  my  lunch,  and  my  little 


Z2  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

chasseurs  arrive  with  their  collection  of  humming-birds. 
They  only  hunt  at  certain  times  of  the  day,  when  I 
can  be  near  to  attend  to  the  little  captives,  according 
to  my  instructions,  for  they  have  a  cruel  way  of  tying 
them  together  if  they  keep  them  long.  They  are  find- 
ing some  new  things  every  day,  and  as  they  have  got 
the  idea  that  I  am  collecting  everything  in  shape  of 
bird,  beast,  insect,  and  reptile,  they  bring  me  the  result 
of  each  day's  "  find."  Sometimes  it  is  a  snail,  a  fat 
caterpillar  hideous  in  its  slimy  skin,  a  butterfly,  a 
beetle,  or  a  spider.  At  one  time,  from  an  incautious 
remark  that  I  made  to  the  effect  that  I  would  like  a 
specimen  of  the  curious  land-crab  which  abounds  in 
the  ravines  and  rivulet  banks,  they  conceived  the  idea 
of  supplying  me  with  the  crustacean  just  mentioned. 
Each  boy  and  girl  on  the  place  resolved  to  be  the  first 
to  furnish  me  with  the  coveted  crab.  The  consequence 
was  that  my  place  was  soon  overrun  with  shell-fish  — 
ugly  red  and  yellow  crabs  —  as  large  as  a  man's  hand, 
and  from  that  to  the  most  diminutive.  One  of  the 
girls  in  a  mischievous  mood  brought  in  a  crab  with  a 
family  of  little  ones,  over  a  hundred,  just  large 
enough  to  be  seen,  and  let  them  loose  on  the  floor. 
Through  some  open  window,  while  I  was  absent,  some 
giant  crab  would  be  dropped  on  the  floor  to  await  my 
arrival.  This  was  not  done  in  a  spirit  of  mischief,  but 
from  an  earnest  desire  to  aid  me  in  my  labors. 

For  a  week  after  I  could  not  stir  without  coming  in 
Contact  with  a  shelly  creature.  I  could  not  put  my 
foot  out  of  bed  without  a  shudder  of  apprehension.  Of 
nights  I  would  be  awakened  by  a  rattling  of  ale-bottles, 
and  arising  'WOuld  discover  that  some  crab  had  got 
thirsty  during  the  night,  and  had  inserted  a  claw  which 


CAMP    LIFE    IN    THE    TROPICS.  23 

had  caught  in  the  neck  of  a  bottle.  Or,  as  one  other 
night,  when  my  slumbers  were  broken  by  a  mysterious 
rattling,  and  I  awoke  (thinking  that,  as  Jean  Baptiste 
had  prophesied,  the  "  jumbies  "  had  come  for  me,  as 
they  come  for  everybody  who  sleeps  alone  in  a  strange 
house) ,  to  find  another  crab  vexing  his  soul  in  vain  en- 
deavors to  shin  the  broom-handle.  It  may  be  surmised 
that  I  soon  informed  my  corps  of  naturalists  that  I  could 
dispense  with  their  services,  and  now  I  am  again  a 
lone  investigator  dependent  upon  his  sole  endeavors. 

In  the  afternoon  I  sit  down  by  the  loophole  that 
serves  as  window,  (where  by  raising  my  eyes  I  can 
at  any  time  look  off  upon  the  peaceful  Caribbean  Sea,) 
gather  my  birds  about  me,  and,  after  noting  their 
measurements  and  other  data  necessary  to  aid  in  their 
identification,  proceed  to  skin  and  preserve  them  pre- 
paratory to  their  long  journey  to  the"  States."  It  is  near 
sunset  when  this  is  finished,  and  after  supper  I  climb 
into  mv  hammock,  or  sit  on  mv  threshold,  watching 
the  sun  go  down  behind  the  mountains.  If  I  were  a 
little  farther  to  the  north  I  could  see  him  down  clear  to 
the  sea ;  and,  in  fact,  I  often  climb  a  spur  of  a  near 
hill,  where  are  buried  the  ancestors  of  the  present  res- 
idents of  Laudat,  and  watch  the  sun  as  he  dips  below 
the  sea,  just  gilding  with  his  parting  rays  the  rude 
crosses  that  mark  the  last  resting-place  of  those  buried 
beneath  them. 

But  what  I  have  been  most  disappointed  in  as  the  sun 
sets,  is  the  absence  of  that  prolonged  twilight,  which 
makes  our  evenings  of  earlv  summer  in  the  north  so 
delightful ;  when,  after  the  sun  goes  down,  there  re- 
mains that  blissful  lingering  of  day  with  night,  when 
the  softened  light  fades  so  gradually  away  that  we 


24  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

cannot  tell  at  what  precise  moment,  or  how,  it  left  us  j 
and  when  the  song  of  the  robin  fills  the  air  with  mel- 
ody that  many  other  of  our  birds  keep  up  in  the  fields 
and  orchards  till  late  at  night.  There  is  none  of  that 
here.  More  than  once  I  have  said  to  myself,  as  the 
sun  hid  his  face  behind  the  dark,  ridge  of  mountain, 
leaving  the  trees  sharply  outlined  against  the  clear 
sky  —  more  than  once  I  have  repeated,  "Now  I  will 
sit  in  the  doorway  and  enjoy  the  twilight."  But  I  had 
scarcely  found  and  filled  my  pipe,  and  settled  myself 
comfortably  in  doorway  or  hammock,  when  twilight 
was  gone,  and  the  fast-gathering  darkness  had  hid  the 
valleys,  and  was  climbing  the  western  slopes  of  the 
mountains.  The  stars,  already  out,  shine  with  a 
liquid  brilliancy  that  causes  you  to  forget  the  absence 
of  dusk,  and  you  give  yourself  up  to  the  contempla- 
tion of  the  lighted  heavens,  losing  yourself  in  thought, 
wandering  perhaps  in  meditation  back  to  the  land  you 
have  left,  over  which  the  same  sky  stretches  and  stars 
gleam  ;  but  not  with  the  clearness  of  the  one,  nor  the 
soft  brilliancy  of  the  other  —  at  least  not  at  this  present 
season. 


MY    FIRST    CAMP.  25 


CHAPTER    III. 

IN   AND   ABOUT   MY   FIRST   CAMP. 

THE  CARIBBEAN  SEA,  ITS  DECEPTIVE  APPEARANXE  AND  PLA- 
CIDITY. —  MY  NEIGHBORS,  THE  MOUNTAINEERS,  THEIR  SAY- 
INGS AND  WISE  SAWS. — A  FRENCH  MISSIONARY  NEEDED.  — 
THE  IGUANA  AND  ITS  FLESH.  —  GLIMPSES  OF  MRS.  GRUNDY. — 
A  WORK  OF  ART.  —  CRUISING  FOR  CRUSTACEANS.  —  THE 
"GRIVES."  —  MARIE.  —  LONG-TAILED  DECAPODS.  —  "  WHERE 
CRABS  GROW." —  "WAIT  THERE,  MONSIEUR." — ASTONISHED. 
—  SHOCKED.  —  THE  RIVER.  —  DRENCHED.  —  A  NAIAD.  —  A  VIC- 
TIM TO  SCIENCE.  —  FOOD  FOR  THE  GODS. 

THE  pictures  seen  from  my  cabin  door  are  beau- 
tiful, but  all  suggest  alike  the  sea.  Detached 
peaks  rise  to  the  eastward  and  southward,  connected 
by  a  continuous  chain  of  hills  to  the  sea.  Their  line 
is  irregular,  and  very  shapely  are  those  mountain- 
peaks,  clothed  with  verdure  to  their  summits.  The 
broken  slope  in  front  of  my  cabin  slants  rapidly  to 
the  precipice  that  borders  the  valley  containing  the 
river  which  hastens  to  the  sea.  Outlined  ajjainst  its 
silvery  surface  are  dark  green  mountains ;  a  loosely 
branched  tree  stands  out  against  it  as  against  the  sky  ; 
palms,  with  gracefully  spreading  foliage,  show  dark 
against  it.  It  spreads  so  far  and  wide,  and  seems  to 
climb  so  high  to  meet  the  sky,  that  it  is  hardly  pos- 
sible to  tell  where  sea  leaves  oft'  and  sky  begins. 
Every  day  I  am  puzzled  to  ascertain  the  horizon  line. 


26  CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 

Every  day  it  blends  into  sky  so  softly  that  all  seems 
sky,  or  all  may  be  sea.  Is  the  sky  blue,  so  is  the  sea  ; 
is  it  smoky  pearl,  the  sea  is  dim,  and  hides  its  face 
beneath  a  hazy  cloud.  A  cloudy  day,  with  the  sun 
shining  on  the  water  from  behind  the  clouds,  turning 
the  sea  to  burnished  and  glistening  silver,  is  as  puz- 
zling as  a  day  with  sky  of  clearest  ether,  for  the  sun, 
reflected  from  the  glowing  surface  of  the  sea,  dissipates 
the  line  of  demarkation  in  the  glare  of  the  reflection. 

There  are  times  when  the  sea  does  not  rise  up  to 
meet  the  sky,  but  spreads  out  miles  and  miles,  until  I 
almost  fancy  I  can  see  to  Aves  Island  —  that  solitary 
island  far  west  in  the  Caribbean  Sea,  where  a  colony 
of  birds  breed  on  the  sands.  The  best  view  is  ob- 
tained at  sunset ;  then,  whether  the  bright  orb  dis- 
appears behind  the  mountains  without  a  cloud,  or 
whether  he  leaves  a  threatening  array,  clad  in  armor 
of  gold  and  silver,  the  horizon  line  is  well  defined. 
At  moonlight  also,  when  mountains  and  valleys  are 
but  gradations  in  depth  of  shadow,  the  sea  reposes 
peacefully  beneath  moon  and  stars,  content  to  rest 
itself  as  a  sea,  and  claiming  no  affinity  with  the  vault 
above. 

It  seems  to  me  that  it  changes  every  time  I  look 
upon  it  —  pearl-blue,  silver  shot  with  gold,  hazy 
depths,  from  which  no  light  is  shown,  and  again  a  sea 
of  deepest  ether.  It  has  never  been  otherwise  than 
calm  and  placid,  though  the  fierce  winds  that  some- 
times sweep  down  from  these  mountains  and  dive  into 
the  valleys  are  enough  to  ruffle  the  tranquillity  of  any 
sea.  Indeed,  it  is  a  well-known  fact  that  vessels  are 
often  becalmed  under  the  lee  of  these  Caribbee  islands 
for  days  together,  and  there  is  not  even  a  swell  to 


MY    FIRST    CAMP.  2*J 

break  the  monotony  of  existence  on  board.  I  can  see 
white  sails,  sails  of  sloops,  of  schooners,  of  ships, 
drifting  lazily  over  the  placid  sea.  Sometimes  the 
morningf  will  reveal  the  sail  of  the  evenincr  before  — 
the  sail  that  I  watched  as  I  swung  listlessly  in  my 
iiammock.  It  is  one  of  the  pleasures  of  existence  here 
that  I  can  at  any  time  have  within  my  view  the 
still,  dreamy,  beautiful  sea  of  the  Antilles.  It  is 
not  alwaj^s  so  peaceful.  In  the  "hurricane  season," 
when  the  tempests  devastate  these  islands,  it  rises  in 
its  wrath  —  not  like  the  miserable  Atlantic,  though, 
always  in  commotion  ;  it  is  disturbed  only  by  a  hurri- 
cane —  nothing  less. 

A  century  ago  or  thereabouts,  there  came  to  this 
mountain  retreat,  then  unbroken  wilderness,  (as  now 
it  is,  save  this  little  clearing)  that  sanguine  French- 
man, Jean  Baptiste  Laudat.  Tradition  says  he  came 
from  his  native  isle  of  Martinique  or  Guadeloupe,  and 
here  looked  about  him  for  a  wife.  It  is  more  proba- 
ble, though,  that  he  brought  her  with  him  as  a  slave, 
and  that  she  was  black  ;  and  that  there  afterwards  got 
admixed  a  soup^on  of  Carib  blood  is  manifest  in  the 
color  of  these,  his  descendants.  They  are  not  yellow, 
or  briglit  olive  like  the  Carib,  but  of  a  rich  brown, 
with  long  hair,  black  and  wavy.  That  the  air  of 
these  mountains  is  conducive  to  health,  their  size, 
plumpness  and  activity  prove. 

There  are  but  five  families,  ruled  over  by  the 
present  Jean  Baptiste,  who  inherits  his  power  from 
his  deceased  grandfather,  as  eldest  son.  With 
him  lives  his  mother,  a  yellow-skinned  old  lady  of 
eighty,  who  hobbles  about  with  a  cane,  and  is  a  fre- 
quent visitor  at  the  door  of  my  hut.     Now,  this  old 


28  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

lady  and  her  Jean  can  speak  what  they  flatter  them- 
selves passes  for  English,  but  their  native  tongue  is 
the  perverted  French  of  their  white  ancestor.  To  a 
Parisian,  their  perversion  of  the  French  verb  faire 
would  be  sufficient  to  drive  him  crazy. 

For  instance,  the  old  lady  strives  to  make  intelligible 
the  number  of  her  grandchildren  and  their  respective 
parents:  "My  zon,  Jean,  he  make  ze  enfans  seex ; 
Ma  fille,  he  make  huit,  and  tout  Ics  enfans  make 
seexty."  She  passed  m}^  door  one  afternoon  as  I  was 
busy  preparing  my  collections  for  preservation,  and 
told  me  confidently  that  she  was  going  to  "  make  petit 
walk,"  but  a  wail  from  the  house  of  her  eldest  son 
caused  her  to  hurry  her  old  limbs  to  soothe  the  child 
"  zat  make  ze  cry."  "  Me  make  my  sleep,"  is  a  com- 
mon expression. 

Jean  B.  is  full  of  wise  sayings,  and  gives  vent  to 
some  very  strange  expressions.  One  day  I  returned 
from  a  long  hunt  in  a  heavy  rain,  and  my  worthy 
friend  was  greatly  exercised  that  I  did  not  immediate- 
ly change  my  clothing.  "  Who  drink  ze  watah,"  said 
he.  "  It  is  youselfs  feet ;  *'  meaning  that  the  moisture 
had  b.een  absorbed  into  my  system.  "White  man 
next  to  God  (ze  Mon  Dicu)J"  "White  man  not  like 
colored,  he  no  eat  ze  bones  of  ze  poule."  "  I  tank  ze 
Mon  Dieu  ef  I  speaks  ze  Engleesh."  He  exercised  a 
sort  of  paternal  sovereignty  over  me,  as  the  first  white 
man  who  had  honored  his  little  hamlet  with  his  pres- 
ence, and  many  a  day  has  he  staid  from  his  labor  in 
the  mountains  to  procure  something  for  my  table,  or 
some  new  bird. 

One  day  he  brought  to  my  door  an  iguana,  nearly 
five  feet  in  length,  and  very  ugly.     He  had  seen  it 


MY    FIRST    CAMP.  29 

basking  on  a  limb  beneath  the  cHfT,  and  had  pinned  it 
with  a  long  bamboo,  while  his  brother  secured  it  with 
a  noose  made  from  a  liane.  I  expressed  a  desire  to 
obtain  its  skin,  and  hastened  to  do  so,  but  a  woman 
was  already  scorching  the  scales,  which  she  afterward 
scraped  oft'  in  water.  It  looked  quite  repulsive,  but 
a  piece  which  they  later  sent  me  I  ate,  finding  it  sweet, 
tender,  and  white,  not  unlike  chicken.  This  is  the 
season  (March  and  April)  when  the  iguana  leaves  the 
rocks  and  precipices,  and  takes  to  the  trees.  He  lives 
on  grass  and  leaves,  principally,  if  not  solely,  and  only 
frequents  the  trees,  they  say,  during  the  dry  season ; 
then  he  is  hunted.  During  the  wet  season  he  lives  in 
his  hole,  or  if  he  comes  out  he  is  hard  to  find.  The 
dogs  of  Laudat  are  trained  to  hunt  this  lizard. 

I  always  held  that  for  darning,  pure  and  simple, 
our  good  old  grandmothers  of  the  good  old  times  held 
rank  -par  excellence.  This  was  conclusively  proven 
one  day,  when,  having  made  a  long  rent  in  the  leg  of 
an  old  pair  of  trovvsers,  I  took  them  to  Mrs.  Jean  Bap- 
tiste  to  be  repaired.  As  I  turned  to  go  I  was  arrested 
by  an  exclamation,  and  looking  back  found  her  at- 
tentively examining  them.  Now,  they  were  very  old  ; 
how  they  got  mixed  up  with  the  rest  of  my  wardrobe 
I  do  not  know ;  but  as  they  were  there  I  made  use  of 
them  in  the  woods,  intending  to  leave  them  there, 
peradventure  they  survived. 

Years  before  they  had  been  patched  by  my  grand- 
mother ;  that  maternal  relative  had  a  passion  for  darn- 
ing perfectly  unaccountable.  Like  Alexander,  she 
would  shed  tears  when  there  were  no  more  conquests 
to  make  in  her  world  of  darning,  and  a  new  pair  of 
pantaloons,   or  a  coat  without   a  rent,  was  to  her  a 


30  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

source  of  grief.  How  eagerly  she  would  seize  upon 
a  garment  that  showed  signs  of  dissolution  ! 

Jabbering  a  few  hurried  words  in  patois  to  a  gargon 
who  quickly  departed,  Mrs.  Jean  Baptiste  sat  down 
with  the  garment  in  her  hands  to  await  the  arrival,  as 
I  soon  found,  of  the  adult  female  population  of  Laudat. 
When  they  had  all  arrived  she  arose  and  displayed- to 
their  united  view  the  broadest  part  of  my  inoffensive 
nether  habiliments.  At  first  they  were  speechless  with 
admiration,  but  soon  broke  forth  into  a  chorus  of  Mon 
Dieus  !  each  one  reaching  forward  for  a  closer  inspec- 
tion. 

The  simple  explanation  of  this  is,  they  recognized 
the  work  of  a  master-hand.  Had  some  connoisseur 
of  paintings  found  in  a  garret  —  as  some  one  is  con- 
stantly finding  in  a  garret  —  a  painting  that,  the  dust 
being  removed,  disclosed  a  Murillo  or  a  Van  Dyke, 
he  could  not  have  been  more  delighted  and  surprised. 
I  say  delighted,  but  sober  reflection  convinced  them 
that  such  handiwork  should  not  be  shown  their  lords 
and  masters  ;  and  they  grew  troubled  lest  they  should 
see  this  masterpiece,  and  becoming  dissatisfied  with 
their  spouses'  needlework,  eventually  sue  for  divorce 
on  grounds  of  incompetency,  or  some  kindred  cause. 
Then  they  desired  I  should  teach  them ;  but  I  pro- 
tested that  I  never  had  taken  lessons  in  that  science,  and 
that  unless  they  could  puzzle  it  out  for  themselves,  the 
art,  as  an  art,  must  be  a  lost  one  to  them.  Mine  host 
heard  of  it,  however,  and  to  him  I  gave  the  garment. 
And  it  is  said  that  he  has  caused  to  be  preserved  (by 
framing  or  some  other  way)  that  design  in  darning, 
and,  having  lopped  off  the  legs  for  his  youngest  son, 
regards  the  remainder  as  an  art  treasure  of  the  highest 


MY    FIRST    CAMP. 


31 


yViARIE. 


value.  If  his  wife  gets  refractory  he  has  but  to  point 
with  warning  gesture  at  that  specimen  of  needlework, 
and  she  at  once  subsides. 

Even  in  this  wild  island,  in  the  depths  of  the  deepest 
forest,  there  exists  that  fear  of  Mrs.  Grundy  that  smoul- 
ders in  the  human  breast  in  town  and  city.  Though 
the  young  people  of  the  mountains  go  about  for  days 
and  weeks  with  nothing  on  but  a  single  gown  or  rag- 
ged shirt,  when  the  time  comes  for  going  to  town  they 
must  carry  with  them  all  they  possess  in  the  way  of  a 
wardrobe  ;  and  they  will  carry  on  their  heads  a  large 


32  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

Indian  pannier,  or  basket,  with  nothing  in  it  but  their 
best  clothes.  When  they  reach  the  banks  of  the  last 
stream  nearest  town  they  don  their  finery,  and  cram 
their  unwilHng  feet  into  unaccustomed  shoes,  and  then 
limp  painfully  into  the  metropolis,  conscious  that  they 
are  objects  of  envy  and  admiration. 

They  are  really  prettier  in  the  more  becoming  cos- 
tume of  the  mountains  —  a  simple  dress  gathered 
about  the  hips,  reaching  to  the  knees ;  and  men  and 
boys  handsomer  in  merely  cotton  pants,  with  broad 
breast  and  muscular  arms  exposed.  I  have  seen  the 
policemen,  when  in  secluded  country  districts,  walk- 
ing with  their  shoes  held  carefully  under  their  arm. 
Though  improvident  of  time,  these  people  are  very 
careful  of  their  clothing. 

Jean  Baptiste  came  in  one  day  with  a  bunch  of 
**  grives,"  or  large  thrushes,  which  are  excellent  eating 
and  desirable  specimens.  At  my  request  he  went  down 
into  the  woods  and  showed  me  the  tree  on  which, 
morning  and  afternoon,  they  could  be  found  feeding. 
It  was  then  noon,  and  I  could  not  find  any ;  but  next 
morning  I  started  out  with  the  intention  of  bagging  a 
few.  Heavy  showers  came  down  every  half-hour, 
but  I  donned  my  rubber  poncho,  and  waded  on  through 
the  wet  forest,  with  my  gun  securely  covered.  My 
course  lay  down  tlie  south  ravine.  On  the  hill  to  the 
right  was  a  tall  jiguicr  tree,  the  fruit  of  which  is  liked 
by  the  birds.  This  fruit  resembles  in  shape,  size  and 
color,  a  cranberry,  and  is  attached  to  the  twigs  in 
clusters  of  two  and  three. 

Now,  I  could  have  sworn  to  the  exact  position  of 
that  tree ;  yet,  having  tramped  doggedly  through  the 
rain  for  more  than  half  an  hour  without  seeing  any 


MY    FIRST    CAMP.  33 

familiar  tree  or  shrub,  I  began  to  look  about  me 
sharply.  Though  I  had  noted  the  direction  in  my 
mind's  eye  when  shown  the  tree,  I  overshot  it 
in  my  search  and  got  farther  down.  A  group 
of  tree-ferns  I  remembered ;  farther  on,  across  a 
brook,  was  a  large  rock  —  all  right;  but  where  was 
the  ants'  nest  in  a  dead  tree  that  I  had  especially 
noted?  To  understand  why  all  my  landmarks  were 
small  and  insignificant,  the  reader  must  be  informed 
that  in  these  woods  the  trees  are  so  large  and  shoot 
up  so  high  that  their  crowns  afford  no  means  of  identi- 
fying them  ;  and  all  their  trunks  are  so  much  alike, 
enveloped  in  masses  of  vines  and  ferns,  that  other  ob- 
jects must  be  chosen  to  guide  the  hunter  in  his  rambles 
here.  Under  thick  foliage  I  went,  until  the  roar  of 
the  large  waterfall  came  up  to  me,  and  I  knew  I 
must  retrace  my  steps,  as  the  tree  was  on  the  ridge 
between  the  two  streams. 

At  once  I  was  stopped  by  seeing  on  the  ground  be- 
fore me  scattered  shreds  oi  Jiguier  fruit,  and  looking 
up,  saw  the  tree  above  me.  As  I  had  approached 
from  the  side  opposite  to  that  of  my  first  visit,  its  sur- 
roundings had  seemed  changed.  The  rain  came 
down  in  torrents,  but  glanced  harmlessly  from  my 
poncho.  It  was  tiresome  waiting,  but  I  secured  all  I 
wanted  of  the  grives  and  went  back  to  the  main  trail 
leading  to  the  Boiling  Lake,  and  sat  down  on  a 
rock  in  a  more  open  part  of  the  forest,  to  try  to 
secure  a  few  humming-birds.  The  rain  had  ceased, 
and  the  sun  was  shining  outside.  Yielding  to  the 
overpowering  influence  of  silence  and  solitude,  I 
was  indulging  in  a  day-dream,  when  a  voice  awoke 
me  : 

3 


34  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

"  Bon  jour  ^  monsieur  !  " 

I  looked  up,  and  saw  two  brown-skinned  maidens. 
One  was  a  little  mulattress,  about  ten  years  old ;  the 
other  was  Marie  —  light-hearted,  sunny  Marie  —  in 
whose  veins  flowed  the  blood  of  three  races.  The 
blood  of  the  African  showed  in  her  wavy  hair  and  full 
lips,  and  told  what  was  the  original  stock  with  which 
that  of  the  Carib  was  mingled  ;  and  that  of  the  jovial 
Frenchman,  who  had  wandered  to  these  wilds  years 
and  years  ago,  gave  the  roundness  and  suppleness  of 
limb,  the  quick  merry  eye,  the  oval  cheek,  and  little 
hands  and  feet. 

^^ Bon  jour.  Mademoiselle  Marie:  where  are  yoa 
going?" 

"  Pour  chcrchcr  Ics  ecrcvisse  "  —  To  look  for  cray- 
fish. 

O-aytish  !  Why,  just  what  I  wanted ;  for  I  had 
promised  one  of  the  professors  in  Washington  to  make 
collections  of  these  very  animals.  I  glanced  up  through 
a  hole  in  the  leafy  roof  above  me  and  judged  it  was 
about  ten  o'clock,  unless  the  sun's  rays  were  refracted 
in  coming  through. 

"  Have  you  anything  for  me  to  eat,  Marie?" 

**  Yes,  monsieur." 

"  Then  I  will  go  with  you." 

"  It  gives  me  much  plaisir,  monsieur." 

''Well,  lead  the  way." 

Reader,  if  you  look  in  a  work  on  natural  history  for 
information  regarding  the  crayfish,  you  will  find  it 
there  given  as  a  "  long-tailed  decapod ; "  and,  pur- 
suing the  subject  still  farther,  you  will  see  that  it  is 
also  crustacean  —  a  "  decapod  crustacean."  And  thus 
you  might  follow  the  author  up  to  the  branch   articu- 


MY    FIRST    CAMP.  35 

lata,  and  back  again  through  all  its  divisions  and 
ramifications,  and  all  you  will  know  about  it  will  be 
that  it  is  a  long-tailed  decapod,  and  inhabits  fresh- 
water streams. 

Long-tailed  decapod,  forsooth  ! 

Come  with  me,  reader,  and  I  will  show  you  more  of 
crayfish  and  their  ways  than  you  can  learn  in  a  week 
of  books.  Follow  in  my  wake,  or,  as  the  path  is 
slippery,  take  good  hold  of  my  hand.  The  way  leads 
up  hill  and  over  rocks,  wet  and  smooth,  for  perhaps  a 
mile.  Don't  mind  the  wet  leaves  that  continually  flap 
in  your  face,  or  the  vines  and  creeping  ferns  that 
vex  your  feet.  Take  a  good  grip  and  come  along. 
In  the  language  of  the  immortal  bard  (who,  by  the 
way,  never  knew  of  crayfish  like  these)  : 

"  I  prithee,  let  me  bring  thee  where  crabs  grow." 

We  may  have  completed  a  mile,  when  Marie 
stopped:  "Stay  here,  monsieur."  I  staid,  while  she 
went  behind  a  large  rock  and  removed  her  shoes. 
Then  I  was  allowed  to  follow  on  until  the  path  was 
left,  and  we  entered  the  deeper  woods  to  descend  to 
the  river.  Opposite  another  huge  rock  she  stopped 
again.  "Wait  there,  monsieur."  Behind  this  rock 
she  darted  with  her  little  companion,  and  shortly  re- 
appeared. 

Satyrs  and  wood-nymphs  !  I  thought  these  girls 
about  as  thinly  clad  as  possible  when  they  disap- 
peared behind  the  rock,  but  I  declare  in  all  serious- 
ness, they  had  left  a  large  bundle  of  clothes  behind. 

What  a  mysterious  combination  is  woman  !  And 
there  they  stood,  laughing  and  blushing,  in  a  single 
dress  each,  loosely  gathered  at  the  shoulders,  and  at 


36  CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 

the  waist  by  a  girdle.  This  was  becoming  serious. 
If  there  were  any  more  rocks  in  our  path,  I  felt  morally 
certain  they  would  dodge  behind  them.  And  then 
how  would  they  appear?  My  hair  began  to  bristle. 
I  was  resolved  to  stop  it  at  all  hazards. 

"  Look  here,  Marie  I  " 

"Yes,  monsieur." 

"Don't  do  that  any  more." 

"  What,  monsieur?  " 

"Don't  go  behind  any  more  rocks ;  don't  takeoff 
any  more  garments." 

"  Why  no,  monsieur  ;  it  is  impossible  !" 

No  amount  of  italicizing  or  exclamation-points  can 
render  the  astonishment  in  her  tone  as  she  thus  as- 
sured me  ;  and  feeling  that  I  could  then  safely  proceed, 
I  gave  the  order  to  go  on.  We  reached  the  river  — 
the  stream  that  flows  out  of  tlie  mountain  lake  —  broad 
and  with  gravelly  beach,  with  immense  bowlders  as 
islands,  and  a  wall  of  vegetation  on  either  side  that  rose 
straight  up  a  hundred  feet.  Here  my  guides  left  me 
to  my  own  devices  and  waded  into  the  stream  in  search 
of , crayfish.  I  saw  a  bird  I  had  not  seen  before,  and 
pursued  it  along  the  shore  until  stopped  by  a  cascade. 
It  was  within  shot,  however,  and  at  the  report  of  my 
gun  it  fell  into  a  little  pool.  The  rocks  were  smooth 
as  glass,  and  my  great  boots,  though  good  protection 
from  the  vines  and  thorns,  were  but  poor  aids  in 
clambering  over  these  rocks.  The  result  was  that  I 
unexpectedly  sat  down  upon  a  rock,  and  very  sud- 
denly I  came  down,  too.  There  was  a  stream  of 
water  rushing  over  that  rock  six  inches  in  depth,  so 
that  my  fall  did  not  hurt  me ;  but  the  rapid-flowing 
sheet  stmck  my  back  with  great  force,  and  climbed 


MY    FIRST    CAMP.  37 

up  over  my  coat-collar  so  rapidly  that  I  was  im- 
mediately as  bloated  as  a  bull-frog.  The  rain  had 
long  ago  drenched  me,  but,  though  wet  before,  I  did 
not  care  to  get  wet  behind. 

My  half-smothered  yells  brought  Marie  to  my  as- 
sistance, and  she  rescued  me  and  the  bird,  and  then 
suijcjested  I  could  wade  better  with  mv  boots  off. 
Happy  thought!  The  boots  were  removed.  I  need 
not  detail,  to  any  one  who  has  had  the  experience,  the 
pleasure  of  wading  barefoot  over  stones  and  rocks  for 
the  first  time  in  years.  A  little  torture  was  enough 
for  me,  and  in  half  an  hour  I  was  quietly  seated,  dry- 
ing in  the  sun,  watching  the  girls  at  their  work.  The 
stream  was  broad,  with  deep  pools,  and  in  these 
pools  the  crayfish  lurked,  looking  like  miniature 
lobsters  through  the  clear  water.  I  could  see  only 
the  small  ones,  but  Marie  assured  me  there  were  large 
ones  out  of  sight  beneath  the  cascades.  I  was  glad  of 
that,  for  several  severe  nips  from  these  small  ones  had 
given  me  enough  of  crayfish,  and  I  did  not  care 
whether  my  friends  in  America  ever  got  a  specimen. 

Erect  upon  the  rock  she  stood  a  moment,  then 
plunged  head-foremost  into  a  foaming  pool,  disap- 
pearing from  sight.  A  moment  later,  rising  bubbles 
preceded  a  round  little  head,  from  which  hung  long, 
limp  tresses  ;  a  pair  of  shoulders  brown  and  bare,  and 
round  arms  and  little  hands  reaching  out  for  a  support. 
She  had  a  crayfish  in  each  hand,  and  another,  with 
wriggling  legs,  in  her  mouth.  These  she  handed  to 
the  little  girl  on  the  rock  near  me,  and  then  climbed 
out  and  stood  erect,  with  heaving  bosom  and  parted 
lips,  and  nonchalantly  gathered  up  her  dripping 
skirts    and   wrung   from   them   the  water.     Outlined 


38  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

against  that  wonderful  background  of  tropical  leaves, 
with  its  depths  of  shade  and  gleams  of  light,  with  the 
water  dashing  against  the  rock  upon  which  she  stood, 
and  parting  in  sheets  of  foam,  what  a  charming  naiad 
she  appeared  !  Naiad  she  may  have  been,  but  she  could 
hardly  have  been  called  a  Dry-ad,  as  the  water  had 
caused  her  garment  to  cling  closely  to  her  shapely 
figure,  and  was  pouring  from  it. 

Once,  breathless  and  excited,  she  arose,  and  came 
to  me  with  an  ugly  water  scorpion  between  her  fingers, 
one  of  which  was  red  and  swollen,  where  the  venom- 
ous thing  had  bitten  it.  Thus  we  went  on  up  the 
stream  until  near  the  mountain  lake,  when  our  way  was 
stopped  by  a  jam  of  broken  limbs.  Then  we  turned 
down  again  until  halted  by  a  series  of  wells,  worn  from 
the  rock  by  the  action  of  the  water,  twenty  feet  deep, 
into  which  the  flood  plunged  wildly,  ever  descending, 
on  its  way  to  the  grand  leap  of  two  hundred  feet  into 
the  valley  below.  While  my  companions  searched  a 
side  stream  I  remained  on  the  banks  by  the  trail. 
Daylight  waned  and  they  came  not ;  the  gathering 
gloom  urged  me  to  be  up  and  on  my  way  home ;  but 
the  trail  was  obscured,  and  I  was  not  sure  of  reaching 
my  hut  in  the  dark  without  a  guide.  So  I  waited, 
perforce.  Everything  living  seemed  to  have  left  the 
river's  banks,  and  the  only  companion  to  my  solitude 
was  a  gayly-colored  lizard,  which  lay  upon  a  branch 
and  watched  mc.  In  the  interest  of  science  —  but 
against  my  better  feelings  —  I  held  a  bottle  before  his 
nose,  and  he  walked  into  it.  Then  I  put  in  the  cork, 
and  later  he  was  having  his  fill  of  rum ;  not  the  first 
victim  of  the  bottle  —  and  of  science. 

Voices  reached  me  not  long  after,  and  none  too 


MY   FIRST   CAMP.  39 

soon,  for  we  had  hardly  light  enough  to  reach  the 
main  path.  Late  as  it  was,  however,  Marie  prepared 
some  of  the  fish  when  she  reached  her  mother's  house, 
and  sent  them  to  me  with  some  fragrant  limes  and  a 
spicy  pepper.  The  delicate  flesh  as  far  surpasses 
that  of  the  coarse,  garbage-feeding  lobster  in  flavor, 
as  a  "  saddle-rock  "  does  a  coon  oyster.  With  a  drip- 
ping of  lime-juice  and  a  dash  of  West  India  pepper, 
some  Peak  &  Freans'  biscuit  and  a  bottle  of  Tennant's 
pale  ale,  I  supped  so  delightfully  that  all  my  mishaps 
were  forgotten.  I  even  queried  whether  crayfish- 
hunting,  with  a  dusky  maiden  of  sixteen,  who  ex- 
tended a  helping  hand  when  you  slipped,  laughed 
merrily  when  you  fell,  talked  musical  patois  as  she 
pattered  along,  were  not  better  than  hunting  through 
musty  books. 


4Q  CAMPS   IN   THE   CARIBBEES. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

THE   SUNSET-BIRD.  — HUMMING-BIRDS. 

THE  CRATER-TARN.  —  TEMPORARY  CAMPS.  —  THE  "  SOLEIL  COU- 
CHER."  —  "HEAR  THE  SUNSET."  —  A  BIRD  POSSESSED  OF  THE 
DEVIL.  —  THE  CAPTURE. — A  SPECIES  NEW  TO  THE  WORLD. — 
FOUR  SPECIES  OF  HUMMING-BIRDS. —  THE  tJARNET-THROAT 
AND  GILT-CRESTED.  —  DAN,  THE  HUNTER.  —  CATCHING  BIRDS 
WITH  BREAD-FRUIT  JUICE.  —  IN  CAPTIVITY.  —  DEATH.  —  THEIR 
FOOD.  —  METHODS  OF  CAPTURE.  —  THE  HUMMING-BIRD  GUN. — 
THE   AERIAL   DANCE. 

IN  all  the  Caribbee  Islands  there  are  volcanoes, 
many  of  them  still  at  work,  ejecting,  not  lava,  but 
steam  and  sulphur  fumes.  In  the  mountains  one  finds 
numerous  tarns  of  clear,  cold  water,  filling  these  ex- 
tinct craters  to  the  brim,  and  pouring  their  surplus 
flood  down  the  mountain  sides  to  form  rivers  in  the 
valleys  below.  How  came  they  there,  these  lakes 
of  unknown  depth?  Are  they  fed  by  subterranean 
streams,  or  have  the  craters  become  choked,  and,  in- 
stead of  vomiting  forth  water,  and  gases  generated 
in  the  center  of  the  earth,  become  merely  receptacles 
for  the  drainage  of  surrounding  mountains?  Who 
knows  ?  We  only  know  that  we  cannot  sound  their 
depths  with  plummet-line,  and  that  the  water  is  pure 
and  tasteless.  Ages  and  ages  have  they  existed  here, 
and  he  must  be  more  than  geologist,  and  acquainted 
with  the  plans  of  a  great  Creator,  who  would  answer 
these  questions. 


THE    SUNSET-BIRD.  4I 

Such  an  one  was  the  Httle  lake  above  my  first  camp 
in  the  mountains.  Twenty-three  hundred  feet  above 
the  sea,  right  in  the  crest  of  the  mountain-ridge,  sur- 
rounded by  the  most  wonderful  vegetation  ever  be- 
held by  man,  it  reposed  in  solitude.  On  all  sides  but 
one  the  hills  rose  above  it,  dipping  toward  it  and 
forming  a  hollow  through  which  rushed  the  trade- 
winds  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Caribbean  Sea.  The 
trail  leading  from  sea  to  ocean  passed  near  it,  and 
a  cave,  hollowed  from  a  clayey  bank,  gave  shelter 
from  rains  to  the  passers-by  and  to  the  people  from 
the  coast  who  sometimes  came  marooning  here.  A 
tree-fern,  between  path  and  lake,  arose  above  the 
matted  carpet  of  wild  plants  beneath. 

From  my  perriianent  camp  I  frequently  went  out 
into  the  forest  for  days,  taking  with  me  a  young 
Indian  as  porter  and  guide.  Leaving  this  mountain 
lake,  one  day,  we  took  a  little-used  trail  along  the 
ridge  to  the  northward.  Late  in  the  afternoon  we 
came  to  another  solitary  lake,  ringed  round  with  giant 
trees.  To  my  surprise,  my  guide  at  once  made  prepa- 
rations for  a  camp,  or  an  ajotipa^  as  he  called  the 
primitive  structure  hastily  erected  every  night  to  shel- 
ter us  from  the  damp. 

Darkness  settles  swiftly  in  these  tropic  forests.  No 
sooner  is  the  sun  down  than  night  is  upon  you  ;  con- 
sequently we  always  camped  as  soon  as  the  sun  had 
set,  for  traveling  after  dark  in  these  wilds  is  a  thing 
impossible. 

I  objected  to  camping  then,  thinking  we  had  at 
least  another  hour  of  daylight,  though  I  could  not 
tell,  the  forest  was  so  dense,  when  he  quickly  de- 
manded :  "What !  vou  no  hear  the  sunset?" 


42  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

I  was  astonished.  ''Hear  the  sunset  I  No,  cer- 
tainly not ! " 

**  Ah,  monsieur,  me  no  mean  the  great  sun,  le  grand 
solciU  but  the  bird  called  the  'Sunset-bird,'  'Le  Soleil 
Couchcr.'" 

Here  was  a  mystery,  an  object  worthy  of  investi- 
gation—  a  bird  that  acted  as  the  forester's  clock,  that 
told  him  the  time  to  go  to  bed.  At  once  I  proposed 
to  go  in  search  of  it ;  but  my  guide  piteously  pro- 
tested, declaring  that  it  was  a  "jumbie-bird," — a  bird 
possessed  of  the  devil,  —  and  that  to  kill  it  would  not 
only  endanger  my  lile,  but  bring  death  to  the  settle- 
ment. Half  an  hour  before  sunset  it  utters  its  pecu- 
liar cry,  and  half  an  hour  before  sunrise  ;  during  the 
day  it  is  silent.  ' 

"Listen  !  "  said  my  guide.  In  a  few  minutes  there 
rang  through  the  forest  a  cry  weird  and  mournful,  yet 
having  in  its  notes  a  resemblance  to  the  words  soleil 
couchcr — the  equivalent  in  patois  for  sunset.  It  was 
repeated  by  another  bird  and  another,  all  around  the 
lake,  one  answering  another.  In  less  than  half  an  hour 
darkness  had  covered  us,  and  the  cries  had  ceased. 

Grand  old  trees  towered  above  me,  their  branches 
matted  together  and  hung  with  cable-like  vines.  In 
the  morning,  I  listened  eagerly  for  a  repetition  of  the 
sounds  of  the  night  before,  and  was  out  and  away 
down  to  the  lake-border  with  my  gun,  before  my 
guide  was  awake,  or  daylight  had  made  it  safe  to 
walk  abroad.  I  was  rewarded  —  "soleil  coucher!*^ 
right  over  my  head.  Eagerly  I  gazed,  but  saw  noth- 
ing. The  sound  was  repeated,  and  by  other  birds. 
In  the  darkness  it  was  impossible  to  distinguish  any- 
thing, though  never  so  near. 


THE    SUNSET-BIRD.  43 

Impatiently  I  awaited  the  coming  of  dawn,  which 
with  its  first  indications  rewarded  my  search.  I  saw 
a  dusky  body,  a  bird  so  small  that  I  concluded  it 
could  not  be  the  author  of  so  loud  a  cry.  But  in  a 
few  minutes  I  noted  it  in  the  very  act ;  and  almost 
before  it  had  finished  its  note,  and  while  the  final 
cadence  was  quavering  on  the  air,  the  sound  of  my 
gun  announced  to  my  guide  that  the  deed  was  done, 
and  it  was  now  too  late  to  avert  the  vengeance  of  the 
evil  spirits.  Regardless  of  his  lamentations,  I  stood 
absorbed  in  the  contemplation  of  the  bird  now  in  my 
hand.  That  it  was  a  new  bird  I  felt  certain,  and  im- 
mediately—  as  soon  as  my  agitation  had  subsided  — 
I  wrote  a  description  of  it. 

In  shape  and  size  it  resembles  the  "king-bird," 
so  familiar  to  dwellers  of  the  north ;  it  is  eight  and 
one-half  inches  in  length ;  its  upper  plumage  is  dark 
brown  ;  quills  brownish-black  ;  under  the  wings  pale 
yellow ;  throat  and  upper  parts  of  breast  and  sides 
clear  bluish-gray ;  portion  of  breast  and  under  parts 
pale  yellow;  bill  broad  and  thin,  and  black  like  the 
feet.* 

Six  months  later  this  bird  reposed  in  the  Museum 
at  Washington,  and  I  received  from  the  ornithologists 
(as  I  was  then  at  work  in  a  distant  island)  a  notifi- 
cation to  the  effect  that  it  was  a  new  species,  and  had 
been  named  the  Myiarchus  Obcri.  Though  I  after- 
ward discovered  many  new  birds,  there  was  not  one 
with  which  it  would  have  given  me  greater  satisfac- 
tion to  have  my  name  identified. 

*  The  reader  is  referred,  for  farther  information  upon  the  birds 
captured  by  the  author,  to  the  list  of  Birds  of  the  Lesser  Antilles, 
in  the  Appendix. 


44  CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 

Standing  there  by  that  silent  lake,  the  morning  mist 
enshrouding  me,  that  strange  bird  in  my  hand,  I  fell 
at  once  into  a  train  of  musing  suggested  by  the  thought 
that  this  might  prove  a  species  new  to  the  world.  There 
is  something  in  such  a  thought  inexpressibly  thrilling  : 
to  feel  that  to  you  alone  has  been  vouchsafed  the  first 
glance  at  a  being  that  has  existed  for  ages  undiscov- 
ered and  unknown  ;  has  lived  and  breathed  and  sung, 
generation  after  generation  of  the  same  type  ;  and  that 
you,  who  now  hold  its  breathless  form  in  your  hand, 
are  the  first  to  look  upon  it !  At  this  age  of  the  world, 
when  man  has  searched  the  remotest  confines  of  the 
globe,  to  find  an  animal  so  high  in  the  scale  as  this  — 
that  has  heart  and  lungs,  and  in  whose  veins  the 
blood  courses  warm  and  red  —  is  considered  an  event 
worthy  of  chronicling  in  annals  that  endure  for  more 
than  a  single  generation. 

Like  these  were  my  reflections  that  morning, — 
meditations  that  caused  me  to  ignore  the  superstition 
of  my  ignorant  friend,  whose  uneasiness  regarding 
the  lives  of  those  whom  he  considered  I  had  placed 
in  jeopardy,  was  not  soon  allayed. 

Four  species  of  humming-birds  greeted  me  in  my 
first  camp  in  the  tropics.  They  fairly  lit  up  the  val- 
ley with  their  gleaming  coats ;  not  a  bush  or  tree  in 
flower  that  did  not  have  one  or  more  hovering  above 
it  from  morning  till  night. 

Until  the  New  World  was  discovered,  the  humming- 
bird was  not  known  to  Europe.  Though  roaming  from 
the  Arctic  Circle  to  the  Antarctic,  it  is  ever  American, 
and  never  extends  its  migrations  beyond  the  limits  of 
the  Western  continents.    Of  all  the  creations  of  bird-life 


HUMMING-BIRDS.  45 

this  is  the  most  beautiful,  the  most  minute.  Depend- 
ing upon  no  single  feature  for  attraction,  —  upon  no 
one  plume  or  tuft  of  feathers,  like  the  bird  of  para- 
dise, upon  no  broad-spread,  glaring  colors,  like  the 
parrot,  —  it  is,  in  fact,  the  g'cm  of  the  feathered  world. 
So  often  have  poet  and  naturalist  compared  it,  in  the 
brilliance  of  its  flashing  colors,  to  the  gems  of  the  min- 
eral kingdom,  that  they  have  left  little  to  be  said,  and 
I  can  but  repeat  that  it  is  now  a  topaz,  now  an  em- 
erald, a  turquoise,  or  a  ruby. 

East  of  the  Mississippi  and  north  of  Florida  there 
is  but  one  species  that  can  be  called  a  regular  visitor  ; 
this  is  the  well-known  ruby-throated  humming-bird  of 
the  North.  As  we  go  south  w^e  find  them  increasing, 
both  in  species  and  in  number,  until  the  region  of 
greatest  abundance  is  reached  near  the  Equator. 

In  Dominica,  half-way  down  the  Antilles,  and  six- 
teen degrees  north  of  the  Equator,  I  found  four  spe- 
cies to  replace  the  single  one  visiting  the  North,  the 
smallest  of  which  were  as  large  as  the  ruby-throat, 
and  the  largest  two  inches  longer. 

This  latter  is  called  the  garnet-throated  hummer, 
and  is  five  and  one-half  inches  in  length,  and  seven 
in  stretch  of  wing.  It  is  the  most  abundant,  as  well 
as  the  most  beautiful,  and  loves  the  mountain  valleys, 
where  are  gardens  of  plantains  and  fragrant  flowers. 
Its  bill  and  feet  are  black  ;  a  brilliant  gorget  of  garnet 
extends  from  beak  to  breast,  each  feather  of  which  is 
semicircular,  and  of  the  deepest  crimson  with  gold 
reflections.  It  should  be  seen  poised  in  air  hovering 
above  a  flower,  or  preening  itself  upon  a  dry  branch, 
with  the  full  blaze  of  a  tropic  sunshine  glancing  from 
its  throat,  for  one  to  form  an  adequate  conception  of 


46  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

its  beautv.  The  back  is  black  with  a  blue  shade,  like 
blue-black  velvet ;  wing  and  tail-coverts  rich  green 
with  bronze  reflections  ;  all  the  feathers,  be  it  noticed, 
changing  with  every  light  that  falls  upon  them.  There 
are  two  species  that  measure  an  inch  less  in  length, 
that  have  the  crimson  or  garnet  throat  replaced  by 
metallic  green  and  violet,  and  with  backs  of  green 
instead  of  blue-black.  The  fourth,  and  smallest,  is  a 
little  fellow,  found  everywhere,  from  coast  to  mountain- 
top,  in  the  gardens  of  the  town  and  over  the  barren 
hills.  From  his  eccentric  motions,  he  is  called  the 
^'/bU'-J'ou"  or  crazy-crazy,  for  he  darts  hither,  thither, 
up,  down,  round  and  round,  with  seemingly  aimless 
purpose.  He  is  sober  in  hue,  and  has  only  a  little 
pointed  crest  to  give  him  beauty.  But  this  little  hel- 
met of  metallic  green,  now  shining  golden,  now  pur- 
ple even,  and  steel-blue,  flashes  every  ray  of  the  sun 
from  its  bright  surface.  His  head  is  generally  carried 
with  the  beak  pointing  downward,  so  that  the  crest  is 
always  seen  to  the  best  advantage. 

There  were  three  little  chasseurs  who  used  to  sup- 
ply me  with  every  bug  and  bird  within  their  reach. 
It  takes  a  boy,  especially  a  boy  of  the  woods,  to  find 
out  the  haunts  of  the  denizens  of  the  forest ;  and  but 
for  these  little  collectors,  my  specimens  would  have 
been  fewer  in  number.  Let  us  follow  little  Dan,  the 
eldest  and  sharpest  of  the  humming-bird  hunters,  as 
he  goes  out  for  birds.  First  he  goes  to  a  tree  called 
the  mountain  palm,  which  replaces  the  cocoa  palm 
in  the  mountains,  the  latter  growing  only  along  the 
coast.  Beneath  the  tree  are  some  fallen  leaves,  fif- 
teen feet  in  length  ;  these  he  seizes  and  strips,  leav- 
ing the  mid-rib  bare,  a  long,  slender  stem,  tapering 


HUMMING-BIRDS. 


47 


^UMMING-BIRD    fiUNTERS 


'  ''"'  to  a  point.  Upon 
this  tip  he  places  a  lump 
of  bird-lime,  to  make 
which  he  had  collected 
the  inspissated  juice  of  the 
bread-fruit,  and  chewed 
it  to  the  consistency  of 
soft  wax.  Scattered  over 
the  savanna  are  many  clumps  of  flowering  bushes, 
over  whose  crimson  and  snowy  blossoms  humming- 
birds are  dashing,  inserting  their  beaks  in  the  hon- 
eyed corollas  ;  after  active  forays,  resting  upon  some 
bare  twig,  pruning  and  preening  their  feathers.  Cau- 
tiously creeping  toward  a  bush  upon  which  one  of 
these  little  beauties  is  resting,  the  hunter  extends  the 
palm-rib,  with  its  treacherous  coating  of  gum.  The 
bird  eyes  it  curiously,  but  fearlessly,  as  it  approaches 
his  resting-place,  even  pecking  at  it ;  but  the  next  mo- 
ment he  is  dangling  helplessly,  beating  the  air  with 


48  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

buzzing  wings  in  vain  efforts  to  escape  the  clutches 
of  that  tenacious  gum. 

The  humming-birds  brought  me  alive,  I  would  place 
in  a  large  gauze-covered  box ;  but  they  seldom  sur- 
vived many  days,  notwithstanding  great  care.  If 
exposed  to  the  light,  they  kept  up  a  constant  flutter- 
ing until  the  muscles  of  their  wings  became  so  stiff 
they  could  not  close  them,  and  they  expired  with 
wings  wide  outstretched.  Some  would  take  their  cap- 
tivity quietly,  and  though  flitting  now  and  then  to  the 
front  of  the  box  when  light  was  admitted,  would  sit 
upright  upon  the  perch,  giving  an  occasional  chirp, 
and  dressing  their  feathers  as  serenely  as  if  in  the 
open  air.  They  would  seem  happy  and  cheerful ; 
but  the  fact  is,  they  are  creatures  of  light  and  sun- 
shine, and  cannot  exist  without  it.  You  may  give 
them  their  favorite  food  of  honey  and  insects,  fresh 
flowers  every  day,  with  the  morning  dew  yet  drip- 
ping from  them,  and  yet,  despite  your  tenderest  care, 
they  will  droop  and  die. 

It  is  touching  to  witness  the  death  of  one  of  these 
innocent  beings.  Though  I  have  caused  more  than 
one  to  lose  its  life,  I  never  did  it  without  a  pang,  as 
though  I  were  committing  a  great  wrong.  To  shoot 
a  bird  at  a  distance,  and  have  him  fall  at  a  distance 
without  a  struggle,  is  not  the  same  as  to  see  him  die 
in  your  hand.  To  watch  the  feeble  fluttering  of  the 
stiffening  wings,  the  expiring  glance  of  the  fast-dim- 
ming eye,  the  painful  pulsations  of  the  gentle  heart, 
the  last  quiver  when  all  is  over,  —  ah!  how  often 
has  my  conscience  reproached  me  when  looking  upon 
such  a  scene.  Again  and  again  I  have  almost  re- 
solved never  to  kill  another  bird,  and  only  the  thought 


HUMMING-BIRDS.  49 

that  I  was  doing  this  work  in  the  interest  of  science 
kept  me  to  my  purpose. 

The  little  crested  sprite  bears  confinement  less  easily 
than  the  others,  and  rarely  survives  two  or  three  days. 
Every  morning  I  would  introduce  a  bough  of  fragrant 
lime-blossoms,  at  which  they  would  all  dash  instantly, 
diving  into  the  flowers  with  great  eagerness.  Sugar 
dissolved  in  water,  and  diluted  honey,  was  their  favor- 
ite food,  and  they  would  sip  it  greedily.  Holding 
them  by  their  feet,  I  would  place  their  beaks  in  a 
bottle  of  syrup,  when  they  would  rapidly  eject  their 
tongues  and  withdraw  them,  repeating  this  operation 
until  satisfied.  The  long  slender  tube,  at  that  time, 
looks  like  the  tongue  of  a  serpent,  it  is  so  deeply  cleft, 
or  bifurcated.  They  never  displayed  fear,  but  would 
readily  alight  on  my  finger  and  glance  fearlessly  up 
at  me,  watching  an  opportunity,  however,  for  escape. 

In  some  of  the  islands,  Martinique  especially,  the 
boys  shoot  the  small  birds  with  pellets  of  clay  or  hard, 
round  seeds,  through  hollow  canes  lined  with  zinc  or 
glass.     They  kill  a  great  many  in  this  way. 

The  week  before  leaving  America  for  the  West 
Indies  I  was  the  guest  of  a  friend,  who  one  day  came 
in  with  an  odd-looking  cane  in  his  hand,  and  said  : 
"This  is  a  gun  I  am  going  to  give  you  to  use  in  the 
West  Indies.  It  is  for  shooting  humming-birds.  And 
you  will  value  it  all  the  more  highly  when  I  tell  you 
that  it  once  belonged  to  Dr.  Bryant,  who  used  it  in  his 
numerous  excursions  in  the  Bahamas."  Dr.  Bryant, 
a  naturalist  of  note,  and  donor  to  the  Boston  Society 
of  Natural  History  of  the  unsurpassed  La  Fresnaye 
collection  of  birds,  spent  many  years  in  the  West 
Indies  previous  to  his  death,  and  contributed  much 

4 


5©  CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 

to  our  knowledge  of  the  ornithology  of  those  islands. 
The  gun  looked,  as  I  said,  like  a  cane.  The  bar- 
rel was  slender,  and  painted  to  resemble  a  stick  of 
mahogany  ;  the  stock  unscrewed,  and  could  be  put  in 
the  pocket;  and  as  the  ramrod  went  inside  the  barrel, 
where  it  was  secured  by  a  tompion,  and  hammer  and 
trigger  shut  down  out  of  sight,  this  gun  made  a  very 
convenient  walking-stick.  Doubly  valued  by  me  on 
account  of  having  belonged  to  my  friend  and  to  a  natu- 
ralist whom  all  the  world  knew,  this  gun  accompanied 
me  in  all  my  wanderings.  It  was  an  excellent  arm,  and 
I  have  shot  more  than  five  hundred  birds  with  it  alone. 
Not  only  on  humming-birds,  but  on  larger  game,  did 
I  try  its  shooting  qualities.  For  hummers  it  needed 
but  a  taste  of  powder  and  a  thimbleful  of  dust  shot. 

Not  for  the  collecting  of  specimens  merely  was  my 
mission  ;  I  was  to  obtain  all  the  information  possible 
of  the  habits  of  the  birds  —  of  their  home  life.  It  was 
in  this  study  of  them  in  their  forest  retreats  that  I  took 
keen  delight,  and  considered  the  shooting  of  them  as 
a  necessary  evil  to  procure  their  identification. 

In  one  of  my  daily  rambles  for  this  purpose,  I  en- 
tered a  gloomy  glen  in  the  deep  forest.  Soon  as  my 
eyes  became  accustomed  to  the  gloom,  I  espied  a 
humming-bird  dancing  in  the  air.  There  was  not  a 
flower  in  sight,  and  he  did  not  fly  as  when  in  pur- 
suit of  nectar-bearing  flowers,  but  hovered  more  on 
suspended  wing,  darting  sidewise,  backward  and  for- 
ward, with  the  body  in  an  almost  erect  position.  If 
tiirough  the  deep  shade  a  sunbeam  slanted  athwart 
the  glen,  his  throat  gleamed  like  a  ruby.  Now,  this 
fantastic  dance  was  not  for  pleasure,  but  for  food.  I 
ascertained  that  at  such  times  they  are  in  pursuit  of 


HUMMING-BIRDS.  5 1 

insects  ;  have  seen  the  insect  swarms,  and  so  long 
as  there  remain  any  in  sight  —  and  even  long  after 
they  have  disappeared  from  my  view  —  the  bird  darts 
hither  and  thither,  snapping  them  up  vvdth  great  rapid- 
ity. At  such  times  he  does  not  content  himself  with 
a  sip  here  and  there  and  then  alight  upon  some  twig 
or  liane,  as  when  gathering  honey,  but  evidently  con- 
siders the  fleeting  nature  of  the  prey  he  is  pursuing, 
and  shoots  from  one  hunting-ground  to  another  till  he 
has  obtained  his  fill. 

Beneath  me,  lining  the  walls  of  a  deep  gorge  in 
vv^hose  depths  a  little  rivulet  tinkled,  was  a  broad  area 
of  the  plant  called  by  the  natives  balisier,  or  wild 
plantain.  The  leaves  of  this  plant  are  about  six  feet 
in  length,  broad  and  green,  like  the  leaves  of  a 
banana.  From  the  bases  of  these  leaves  shoot  up 
long  spikes  of  crimson  and  yellow  cups,  arranged 
like  the  flowers  of  the  gladiolus.  They  are  boat- 
shaped  and  about  three  inches  in  length,  and  their 
bright  colors  lighted  up  this  shady  spot  like  sunshine. 
Above  their  broad  silken  leaves  Garnet-throat  hov- 
ered a  moment  to  scan  the  interior  of  these  flowers, 
perchance  he  might  see  an  insect  for  him  there.  A 
sudden  desire  came  over  me  to  possess  the  bird,  and 
quick  as  the  thought  was  formed  my  gun  was  at  my 
shoulder,  and  its  sharp  report  echoed  through  the 
silent  woods.  High  and  low  I  searched,  but  could 
not  find  him,  until,  looking  down  upon  the  spot  for 
a  final  glance,  I  caught  sight  of  his  gleaming  throat 
which  a  stray  sunbeam  had  lighted  on.  He  lay  en- 
shrined in  one  of  those  golden  caskets,  leg  uplifted  and 
wings  loose  spread,  eclipsing  even  those  bright  tints  of 
orange  and  crimson  in  the  vivid  glow  of  his  gorget. 


52  CAMPS   IN    THE   CARIBBEES. 


CHAPTER   V. 

THE  BOILING   LAKE  OF  DOMINICA. 

A  WILD  CAT.  —  TREE-FERNS.  —  MOUNTAIN  PALMS.  —  A  RARE 
HUMMING-BIRD.  —  THE  VALLEY  OF  DESOLATION.  —  MISLED  BY 
A  BOTTLE.  —  BOILING  SPRINGS.  —  HOT  STREAMS.  —  SULPHUR 
BATHS. — THE  SOLFATARA. —  BUILDING  THE  AJOUPA.  —  COOK- 
ING BREAKFAST  IN  A  BOILING  SPRING. 

Dominica's  fire-cleft  summits 
Rise  from  bluest  of  blue  oceans  ; 
Dominica's  palms  and  plantains 
Feel  the  trade-wind's  mighty  motions, 
Swaying  with  impetuous  stress 
The  West  Indian  wilderness. 


Dominica's  crater-caldron 
Seethes  against  its  lava-beaches  ; 
Boils  in  misty  desolation  ;  — 
Seldom  foot  its  border  reaches  ; 
Seldom  any  traveler's  eye 
Penetrates  its  barriers  high. 

Lucy  Larcom. 

THE  record  of  the  weather  for  a  month  :  showery, 
cool  and  delightful.  On  the  coast  it  was  ten 
degrees  hotter ;  but  in  this  elevated  valley,  two  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  sea,  the  eastern  peaks  caught  the 
flying  clouds  from  the  "  trades  "  and  precipitated  their 
burden  of  moisture. 


The    Roiling    Laki 


BOILING    LAKE    OF    DOMINICA.  53 

For  two  weeks  I  had  been  awaiting  a  change  of 
the  moon  that  was  expected  to  bring  a  drier  season,  and 
one  night  my  friend  Jean  Baptiste  came  to  my  hut  with 
the  welcome  news,  "To-morrow  make  weddah."  As 
he  predicted,  the  weather  cleared.  There  came  to  me 
the  sons  and  nephews  of  Jean  Baptiste  (four  in  num- 
ber), who  were  laden,  and  departed  one  after  the 
other.  Francois  had  a  large  Carib  pannier  filled 
with  yams,  coffee  and  eggs,  a  blanket,  his  never- 
absent  cutlass,  and  a  gun  ;  Michael  took  my  camera, 
a  bag  of  provisions,  cutlass  and  gun  ;  Joseph,  my  dark 
box  with  photographic  chemicals,  cutlass  and  gun; 
Seeyohl,  a  large  sack  of  yams  and  plantains,  cut- 
lass and  gun.  With  my  game-basket  and  humming- 
bird gun,  I  followed  immediately  after  my  guides. 

We  crossed  the  three  streams  hurrying  from  the 
mountain  to  the  precipice,  where  they  are  compressed 
into  two  magnificent  waterfalls,  and  climbed  the  hills 
beyond,  over  a  path  of  interlaced  roots,  from  among 
which  the  earth  had  been  washed,  leaving  a  perfect 
ladder,  which  served  us  both  in  ascending  and  de- 
scending. Past  one  of  the  little  "  provision  grounds," 
where,  among  fallen  and  decayed  trees,  were  growing 
lusty  plantains,  bananas,  yams  and  tanniers ;  across 
another  stream  and  up  farther  to  the  crown  of  the  ridge, 
where  the  path  led  through  cool  and  open  "  high 
woods,"  where  the  sim  "  can't  come,"  and  where  pcr- 
drix,  or  mountain  doves,  sprang  up  from  all  about  us, 
and  rainicrs,  or  wood-pigeons,  dashed  in  and  out  of 
the  tall  tree-crowns.  At  eleven  o'clock  we  reached 
"La  Riviere  Ddjeuner,"  where  we  breakfasted  upon 
boiled  eggs  and  yams,  with  clear  cold  water  for  drink. 

Our  dogs    (we  had  four   curs   trained   to   hunt  the 


54  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

agouti)  left  us  in  the  middle  of  our  meal  and  darted 
into  the  forest  with  loud  yelps.  Fran9ois  followed 
them,  encouraging  them  with  peculiar  cries  ;  for  these 
mountaineers  have  a  sympathetic  understanding  with 
all  animate  objects  about  them,  and  can  guide,  hie  on 
and  recall  their  dogs  simply  by  varying  their  voice. 
Fran9ois  urged  them  on,  but  in  a  few  minutes  they 
came  to  a  stand-still,  and  their  excited  yelps  assured 
us  that  whatever  they  were  pursuing  was  brought  to 
bay.  We  thought  they  had  an  agouti — a  small  ani- 
mal, in  size  between  a  rabbit  and  a  woodchuck  —  but 
the  execrations  of  Franqois  a  little  later,  which  pre- 
ceded his  appearance  from  the  deep  shade,  prepared 
us  for  the  unwonted  sight,  in  these  wilds,  of  a  wild 
cat.  It  was  not  a  wild  cat  in  the  true  sense  of  the 
word — not  a  Lynx  rufus  —  being  only  a  "  chat  maron  " 
—  a  cat  of  the  domesticated  species  run  wild.  It  was 
gray  in  color,  striped  with  black,  and  larger  and  more 
strongly  made  than  the  cats  of  the  coast,  who  do  not 
have  to  forage  for  a  living ;  showing  how,  in  time,  a 
new  species  might  be  possibly  the  result  of  this  change 
of  life.  It  lives  in  the  deep  woods,  preying  upon 
small  birds,  lizards  and  crabs,  and  is  as  savage  and 
untamable  as  any  specimen  of  the  genus  to  be  found 
in  American  back-woods.  My  men  skinned  it  at  my 
request  and  wrapped  the  skin  in  a  plantain  leaf,  to  be 
hung  up  until  our  return.  The  most  weird  thing 
about  this  animal  was  the  eye  ;  the  iris  yellow,  chang- 
ing to  green,  but  seen  glowering  from  darkness  it  was 
red  —  blood-red  —  red  as  fire,  that  glaring,  glassy  red 
which  I  have  seen  in  the  panther,  and  which  makes 
the  \\\\Afclid<B  so  terrible  to  face  in  their  lairs. 

We  had  here  to  climb  the  sides  of  a  steep  gorge,  the 


BOILING     LAKE    OF    DOMINICA.  55 

walls  of  which  were  almost  perpendicular,  where  slip- 
pery roots  and  hanging  lianes  only,  enabled  us  to 
accomplish  the  ascent.  One  portion  of  our  route  was 
through  a  bowl-shaped  depression  containing  a  few 
acres,  in  which  seemed  concentrated  all  the  glorious 
vegetation  indigenous  to  these  tropical  forests.  Hun- 
dreds and  thousands  of  plants  of  strange  and  beauti- 
ful shapes  were  massed  together  in  prodigal  confusion. 
Conspicuous  among  them  was  the  grand  tree-fern. 

Those  who  have  seen  in  glass-house  or  garden  of 
acclimatization,  only,  the  stunted  specimens  of  this 
plant,  can  form  hardly  a  conception  of  the  grandeur 
of  these  arborescent  ferns  in  their  native  homes.  They 
are  rarely  found  in  perfect  development  at  a  lesser  al- 
titude than  one  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  and  it  is 
in  the  "  high-woods  "  belt  alone  that  they  attain  their 
greatest  height  and  perfect  symmetry.  They  love 
cool  and  moist  situations,  revel  in  shade  and  delight 
in  solitude.  "  If,"  says  Humboldt,  'they  descend  to- 
ward the  sea  coast,  it  is  only  under  cover  of  thick 
shade."  T  have  seen  them  in  these  mountains,  in  the 
vegetable  zone  most  favorable  for  their  growth  —  that 
between  fifteen  hundred  and  twenty-five  hundred  feet 
above  the  sea  —  of  a  height  of  thirty  or  thirty-five  feet. 
Then,  truly,  were  they  impressive  in  their  combination 
of  delicately  traced  leaves  and  slender  stems;  essential- 
ly children  of  the  tropics.  There  is  sublimity  in  their 
expression.  There  is  a  suggestiveness  of  a  benedic- 
tion in  those  lace-like  leaves,  which  are  spread  above 
the  head  of  the  observer  like  outstretched  hands,  and 
which  only  move  gently  and  tremulously,  ever  pulsat- 
ing  to  the  slightest  breath  of  air.  The  light  that  fillers 
through  the  cocoa-palm  leaves  is  wonderfully  lambent 


56  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

and  golden,  but  cannot  compare  with  the  chastened 
sunbeams  that  reach  one  standing  beneath  this  queen 
of  the  mountain  solitudes  ;  perchance  the  sun  can  peti- 
etrate  to  it.  There  are  several  species,  one  of  which, 
with  unusually  prickly  stem  (the  Cyathca  Imrayana^^ 
is  named  for  Doctor  Imray,  a  resident  botanist  of  the 
island. 

Though  the  ferns  replace,  in  a  measure,  the  palms,  in 
the  ascent  from  coast  to  mountain-top,  yet  there  is  one 
species  that  climbs  to  as  high  an  altitude  as  the  fern, 
and  is  found  everywhere  on  the  mountain  side  until 
the  sub-alpine  vegetation  is  reached.  This  is  the 
mountain  palm,  the  "  palmiste  montagne,"  the  "moun- 
tain cabbage,"  Euterpe  montana.  Euterpe,  goddess 
of  lyric  poetry  ;  no  tree  of  the  forest  more  fitly  sym- 
bolizes the  realm  of  song  over  which  she  presides.  In 
every  curve  and  movement  is  grace  and  feeling, 
whether  the  long  leaves  wave  gently  to  the  mid-day 
breeze,  or  whether  they  beat  wildly  their  sustaining 
trunks  in  the  violence  of  the  hurricane.  It  is  not  tall 
for  a  palm,  but  is  slender  and  has  a  lovely  crown,  and 
ministers  to  the  wants  of  the  mountaineers  in  many 
ways,  as  will  be  seen  farther  on.  Inhabiting  the  same 
region  with  the  tree-fern  and  loving  the  same  cool, 
solitary  shades,  it  accompanies  it  in  its  march  up  the 
mountains,  and  ceases  with  it  at  the  upper  edge  of  the 
high-woods  belt.  Two  such  creations  were  enough 
to  give  these  forests  world-wide  fame;  but  there  are  a 
thousand  others  which  I  cannot  describe  for  want  of 
knowledge,  nor  if  I  could,  for  lack  of  space. 

We  passed  streams  every  half-mile  large  enough  to 
turn  a  mill  in  the  rainy  season,  but  which  were  then 
low.     Up  their  rocky  beds  the  trail  pursued  its  way  ; 


BOILING    LAKE     OF    DOMINICA.  57 

rough,  slippery  work  it  was,  with  many  watery 
escapades  and  some  falls  —  waterfalls.  Through 
dense  groups  of  callas,  and  other  water  plants,  we 
were  obliged  to  force  our  way.  At  a  jam  of  trees 
which  I  was  painfully  climbing,  I  saw  a  humming- 
bird poised  above  a  flower.  I  had  been  sufficiently 
long  in  these  mountains,  I  thought,  to  procure  every 
species  ;  but  this  was  different  from  any  I  had  shot, 
and  consequently  he  was  at  once  added  to  my  other 
victims,  and  was  picked  up  below  by  one  of  my  guides, 
as  he  floated  like  a  golden  leaf  upon  the  stream.  It 
proved  to  be  a  rare  species,  found  heretofore  only  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Amazon,  and  rare  even  there,  (the 
Thalurania  waglcri)  ;  and  it  now  rests  in  Washing- 
ton, one  of  the  many  types  of  West  Indian  birds  I  had 
the  pleasure  of  sending  to  our  National  Museum. 

Leaving  the  stream,  we  climbed  another  steep  hill- 
side, and  traveled  along  a  ridge,  on  either  side  of 
which  are  valleys  leading  to  the  sea  and  ocean.  Per- 
drix  and  grtvcs,  or  thrushes,  started  up  at  intervals. 
The  "  sifficur  montagne  "  (the  "  mountain  whistler  ") 
sent  up  liquid  melody  from  every  ravine  ;  warblers 
were  few,  and  humming-birds  the  only  ones  abundant. 
These,  and  even  insects,  grew  rare  and  finally  ceased 
entirely  as  the  lake  valley  was  reached,  and  the  sul- 
phur fumes,  ever  increasing  in  volume,  were  borne  to 
us  in  dense  clouds.  We  made  a  detour  and  again 
took  the  stream,  now  lessened  to  a  trickling  run,  where 
everything  was  decaying,  reeking  with  moisture,  and 
slippery  with  confervoid  growth.  No  snakes  appeared 
now,  not  even  a  lizard  ;  animal  life  was  absent  in  this 
approach  to  the  infernal  regions.  The  trail  was  bar- 
ricaded by  fallen  trees,  detached  rocks,  tangled  lia- 


58  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

nas;  flowers  were  few,  the  crimson  cups  of  the  wild 
plantain  were  alone  conspicuous. 

After  three  hours  of  hard  scrambling  we  were  re- 
warded by  a  view  of  the  first  sulphur  valley  contain- 
ing ih^'^ petite  soufrierc"  from  which  steam  ascended 
in  clouds.  It  is  a  basin  several  hundred  feet  deep, 
one  side  of  which  is  broken  down,  surrounded  by 
steep  hills,  the  valley  w^alls  of  which,  mostly  denuded 
by  land-slides,  are  covered  elsewhere  by  a  sparse 
growth  of  vegetation.  Seeing  an  opening  in  the  trees, 
I  prepared  to  descend,  though  the  trail  was  faint  and 
appeared  old.  But,  being  in  advance  and  impatient 
to  get  at  the  wonder  below,  I  ventured  alone,  and  had 
proceeded  but  a  few  rods  when  I  was  assured  by  the 
sight  of  a  familiar  object  —  a  bottle  —  on  a  stick.  I 
am  not  sure  but  that  a  sight  of  it  caused  me  to 
depart  from  the  beaten  path ;  at  any  rate,  I  was  di- 
verted, though  the  bottle  was  in-verted.  A  shout  from 
above  halted  me  just  as  I  had  reached  the  brink  of  a 
precipitous  'bank,  the  earth  of  which  was  beginning 
to  crumble  beneath  my  feet.  Dejectedly  I  retraced 
my  steps,  my  faith  in  the  goodness  of  mankind  some- 
what shaken.  Months  later,  while  conversing  with  a 
good  friend  —  Dr.  Nicholls,  of  Roseau  —  it  came  out 
that  he  was  the  culprit ;  that  he  had  placed  the  bottle 
there  in  the  kindness  of  his  heart,  as  the  good  Indian 
is  said  to  have  set  up  a  stake  in  every  bog  in  which 
he  got  bemired,  as  a  warning  to  others. 

A  warning !  In  this  thirsty  land  a  bottle  is  as 
necessary  to  one's  existence  as  a  loaf  of  bread ;  and  I 
have  met  with  those  who  held  it  more  directly  essential 
to  the  preservation  of  life  than  the  generally  recog- 
nized "  staff." 


BOILING    LAKE    OF    DOMINICA. 


59 


Nearly  half  an  hour's  careful  work  was  necessary 
to  descend  that  steep  wall,  clinging  to  roots  and  stems 
of  small  trees,  at  the  end  of  which  we  reached  a 
gentle  slope  facing  south,  covered  with  trees  of  goodly 
size.  Here  were  the  remains  of  an  old  encamp- 
ment, empty  bottles  and  sulphur  specimens.  A  stream 
trickled  near  by,  which  we  followed  to  the  sulphur 
basin,  whence  sulphuretted  fumes  ascended  that  would 
have  choked  out  the  stench  of  a  thousand  rotten  eggs. 
This  was  but  the  beginning  of  the  valley  of  wonders, 
the  portal  to  the  enchanted  land  of  mysteries.     The 


6o  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

basin  was  covered  with  rocks  and  earth,  white  and 
yellow,  perforated  like  the  bottom  of  a  colander, 
whence  issued  steam  and  vapor  and  sulphur  fumes, 
hot  air  and  fetid  gases.  There  was  a  full  head 
of  steam  on,  puffing  through  these  vents  with  the 
noise  of  a  dozen  engines.  There  were  spouting 
springs  of  hot  water;  some  were  boiling  over  the 
surface,  some  sending  up  a  hot  spray,  some  puffing 
like  high-pressure  steamers.  Clouds  of  steam  drifted 
across  this  small  valley,  now  obscuring  every  rock  and 
hole,  now  lifting  a  few  feet,  only  to  settle  again.  Tlie 
silver  in  my  pockets  and  the  brass  mountings  of  my 
camera  were  soon  discolored  to  a  blue-black  hue. 
Several  streams  ran  out  and  down,  uniting  in  a  com- 
mon torrent :  streams  hot,  impregnated  with  sulphur  ; 
streams  cold,  clear  and  sparkling,  only  a  yard  apart ; 
water  of  all  colors,  from  blue  and  green  to  yellow  and 
milk-white. 

The  heat  of  a  West  Indian  noon  was  made  tenfold 
oppressive  by  the  hot,  moisture-laden  atmosphere.  My 
foot  slipped,  as  we  groped  our  way  through  the  clouds 
of  vapor,  and  got  slightly  scalded  by  breaking  through 
the  tiiin  crust  that  covered  the  boiling  caldron  beneath. 
We  descended  between  huge  white  rocks  and  bleached 
and  dying  trees  to  a  stream  of  marvelous  beaflty,  pick- 
ing our  way  among  volcanic  bowlders.  At  once  the 
scene  ciianged ;  we  entered  a  ravine  through  which 
flowed  the  streams  from  above,  now  mingled  in  one 
tepid  torrent,  along  whose  banks  grew,  rank  and  lux- 
uriant, plants  of  such  tropic  loveliness  as  made  me 
hold  my  breath  in  delight  and  surprise.  Everywhere 
plashed  and  tinkled  musical  waterfalls  and  cascades ; 
from  all  sides  little  streams  came  pouring  in  their  trib- 


BOILING    LAKE    OF    DOMINICA.  6l 

ute  ;  here  a  cold  and  sparkling  stream,  there  another 
boiling  hot,  its  track  betokened  by  a  wreath  of  steam. 
There  were  tree-ferns,  wild  plantains',  palms,  orchids 
and  wild  pines,  tropical  vines,  lianas,  strange  flowers, 
gay  epiphytes.  Up  and  down  and  across  stretched  the 
lianas,  forming  a  net-work  which  my  guides  were 
obliged  to  sever  repeatedly  with  their  great  cutlasses. 
Along  the  bank  of  this  stream  and  through  the  water 
we  walked  in  delight  —  at  least  I  did  —  for  it  seemed 
a  very  tropical  Eden,  And  yet  on  all  sides  of  us  was 
barrenness  and  desolation  ;  these  beautiful  forms  were 
all  created  by  the  action  of  hot  water  upon  the  scanty 
soil.  Climbing,  slipping,  scrambling,  we  at  last 
reached  a  steep  hill-side,  where  trees  of  different  kinds 
were  growing ;  and  here  we  rested,  for  here  was  the 
spot  selected  for  our  camp. 

But  there  yet  remained  the  Lake,  to  which  all  these 
strange  sights  were  but  preparatory  scenes.  It  was 
but  a  twenty-minutes'  walk,  or  climb,  to  the  basin. 
We  could  hear  it  roarinfj  behind  the  hill.  Leavinfj 
superfluous  luggage,  and  two  men  to  make  camp,  I 
started  on  again  with  nothing  but  gun  and  photo- 
graphic apparatus.  We  reached  another  river,  which 
was  tumbling  noisily  over  blanched  tree-trunks  and 
sulphur-encrusted  rocks,  and  came  out  of  a  large 
mound  of  scoriae  and  pumice  white  as  snow.  Its 
water  was  milk-white  from  the  quantity  of  magnesia 
held  in  solution,  and  steaming  hot.  Into  it  poured 
minor  streams  of  every  shade,  from  white  to  ochreous, 
and  one  black  as  ink. 

Up  over  large  rocks,  covered  with  soft  sphagnum, 
green  and  white  in  color  ;  up,  over  and  through  rapids 
and  around  falls,  passing  feeding  streamlets  of  hot, 


6a>  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

cold,  mineral  and  pure  water  by  turns,  into  a  basin  (at 
the  immediate  base  of  a  high  mountain),  with  heaps 
of  sulphur-stones  scattered  over  a  smooth  floor  of  bi- 
tumen, with  a  jet  of  steam  escaping  here  and  there 
from  a  hole  or  fissure  in  its  quaking  crust ;  up  the 
banks  of  a  Httle  stream  of  sulphur  water,  subterranean 
at  times,  leaving  the  rivers  behind  us,  and  having  a 
steep  bank  before  us,  which  we  quickly  scaled,  and 
there  revealed  to  our  gaze,  lay  the  Lake. 

My  first  feeling  was  that  of  disappointment,  for  the 
surface  of  the  lake,  usually  so  turbulent,  was  placid, 
save  in  the  center  a  slight  movement  —  more  from  the 
escape  of  gas  than  from  ebullition  —  disturbed  it,  and 
sent  ever-expanding  wavelets  to  the  shore.  It  is  sunk 
in  a  huge  basin,  which  it  has  hollowed  out  for  itself. 
Undoubtedly,  it  was  once  a  spring,  or  geyser,  which, 
by  the  volume  and  violence  of  its  flow,  increased  and 
deepened  the  aperture  through  which  it  escaped,  until 
it  reached  its  present  dimensions. 

The  height  of  its  surrounding  walls  I  estimate 
at  from  eighty  to  one  hundred  feet,  and  its  di- 
ameter at  from  three  hundred  to  four  hundred.  As 
there  have  been  no  accurate  measurements  —  indeed, 
the  total  number  of  white  men  who  have  looked  upon 
it  is  not  a  score  —  its  area  will  long  be  a  matter  of 
speculation  only.  The  banks  are  of  ferruginous  eai;th, 
with  stones  and  rocks  imbedded,  as  nearly  perpendic- 
ular as  their  consistency  will  allow,  and  constantly 
caving  and  falling  in. 

Two  streams  of  cold  water  fall  into  tiie  lake  on  the 
north,  above  which  rise  high  hills.  Down  the  bed  of 
one  of  these  we  found  a  place  to  leap.  My  apparatus 
was  passed  down,  and  I  at  once  proceeded  to  secure  a 


BOILING    LAKE    OF    DOMINICA.  63 

picture  of  the  lake.  It  was  then  four  o'clock,  and  the 
sun  had  dropped  very  near  the  margin  of  the  western 
hills,  and  just  lingered  sufficiently  to  allow  me  to 
secure  the  first  photograph  ever  made  in  these  moun- 
tains. Well  for  me  the  lake  was  in  a  state  of  qui- 
escence. Well  for  the  success  of  my  picture  that  the 
water  was  not  in  a  wild  fury  of  ebullition,  and  that  its 
basin  was  not  filled  with  steam,  as  it  had  ever  been 
found  before. 

Directly  opposite  the  stream  in  which  I  stood  was 
the  rent  in  the  wall  through  which  flowed  the  overflow 
from  the  lake,  when  it  was  at  its  work,  through  which 
at  such  times  poured  a  stream  of  sulphur-water  that 
formed  a  torrent  and  descended  to  the  coast  below. 
Through  this  gap  I  could  look  away  south,  across  and 
over  green  mountains  to  the  shores  of  Martinique 
gleaming  through  the  mist  in  the  waning  sunlight, 
twenty  miles  away,  yet  seemingly  within  an  hour's 
row  of  yonder  ridge.  This  rent  is  from  thirty  to  forty 
feet  in  width  at  the  top,  and  perhaps  fifty  in  depth. 

I  descended  to  the  lake  margin.  The  rim  of 
recent  subsidence  was  clearly  defined  :  a  belt  of  black, 
yellow  and  gray  deposit,  some  three  feet  wide.  It  was 
narrower  on  the  second  day,  and  the  ebullition  had 
much  increased,  showing  that,  though  I  was  the  first 
to  discover  it  in  repose,  it  must  be  intermittent  in 
chai^cter,  and  was  then  preparing  to  boil  forth  again. 
For  this  effect  I  waited  long,  much  desiring  to  see  it 
in  that  state,  but  was  not  gratified,  though  the  dis- 
turbance and  noises  continued  to  increase  and  the 
water  to  rise. 

The  temperature  of  the  water,  as  far  out  as  I  could 
reach  my  thermometer,  was  ninety-six  degrees ;    of 


64  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

the  air  at  the  same  time,  sixty-seven  degrees ;  of  the 
streams  falling  into  the  lake,  sixty-five  degrees,  Fahr- 
enheit. Some  months  previously.  Dr.  Nicholls,  one 
of  the  original  exploring  party  who  discovered  this 
lake,  found  it  at  a  temperature  of  one  hundred  and 
ninety-six  degrees  ;  and  Mr.  Prestoe,  of  the  Botanic 
Gardens  of  Trinidad,  recorded  from  one  hundred  and 
eighty  to  one  hundred  and  ninety  degrees.  They 
also  found  it  fiercely  boiling,  the  whole  crater  filled 
with  steam,  and  could  obtain  only  occasionally  a 
glimpse  of  the  water  and  surrounding  walls.  They 
found  no  bottom  with  a  line  one  hundred  and  ninety- 
five  feet  long,  ten  feet  from  the  water's  edge.  With 
Mr.  Prestoe,  I  conclude  that  this  solfatara,  by  widen- 
ing and  deepening  its  outlet,  will  eventually  lose  its 
lake  character  and  become  merely  a  geyser. 

From  the  high  bank  above  the  lake,  near  the  gap 
through  wliich  the  waters  find  egress,  is  a  fine  view  of 
the  whole  northern  wall,  with  the  streams  falling  down 
from  the  background  of  mountain,  the  hollows  and 
miniature  valleys  and  peaks  beyond.  The  river-bed 
below  is  dry  and  yellow ;  but  huge  rocks,  tons  in 
weight,  that  the  waters  have  moved  from  their  beds, 
attest  the  force  of  the  current  when  the  lake  is  at  its 
height.  From  the  north,  coming  down  into  another 
desolate  valley,  are  small  streams -^-yellow,  white, 
green,  blue.  A  spring  boils  up  through  a  hole  tin-ee 
feet  across,  overtopping  the  surface  eight  inches  or 
more.  The  main  volume  of  hot  water  comes  from 
higher  up  the  mountains,  and  there  is,  I  think,  another 
source  as  large  as  this,  which  at  present  is  unknown. 
The  mountains  around  are  green  with  low  shrubs, 
and  from  the  bank  above  the  lake  I  secured  a  giant 


BOILING    LAKK    OF    DOMINICA.  65 

lycopocHum,  which  is  not  found  elsewhere  in  any 
abundance. 

We  retraced  our  steps  about  an  hour  before  sun- 
set, and  found  on  the  hillside  a  comfortable  camp, 
constructed  by  Francois  and  Joseph  during  our  ab- 
sence. The  ajou^a,  or  camp  constructed  in  haste,  is  a 
peculiarity  of  these  forests.  Regarding  the  et^'mology 
of  the  word,  I  am  in  doubt.  Humboldt  speaks  of 
the  aj'upas,  or  kings'  houses,  among  the  Caribs  of 
South  America,  which  were  used  as  houses  of  enter- 
tainment for  travelers.  Whatever  the  origin  of  the 
term,  it  is  now  fixed  in  the  patois  of  the  mountain- 
eers to  designate  a  hut  thrown  up  hastily  for  tem- 
porary occupation — ■  what  we,  in  America,  would  call 
a  "camp."  My  men  first  constructed  a  framework  of 
light  poles,  tied  together  with  roots  and  vines,  and 
covered  it  with  the  broad  leaves  of  the  balisicr,  or 
wild  plantain  {^Ilcliconia  hchia).  This  plant,  which 
grows  everywhere  in  shade  and  moisture,  is  one  of 
the  attractive  features  of  the  vegetation  here.  Its  leaf 
is  like  an  elongated  banana-leaf,  but  not  so  wide,  and 
with  greater  strength  and  toughness. 

Like  the  palm,  this  plant  serves  a  great  variety  of 
uses.  Its  root  is  boiled  and  fed  to  hogs,  I  believe ; 
the  mid-rib  of  the  leaf  is  stripped  and  split  and  woven 
into  baskets  ;  the  leaves  are  used  for  the  thatching  of 
huts,  as  substitutes  for  table-cloths  and  plates  in  the 
woods,  as  envelopes  in  which  to  wrap  anything  of 
soft  nature,  as  butter  or  honey,  —  in  fact,  as  wrap- 
ping for  everything  portable,  the  tissue  is  so  fine  and 
flexible.  The  3-oung  leaves  are  our  substitute  for 
drinking-cups  ;  and  it  is  niore  convenient  to  twist  off 
an  overhanging  leaf  and  throw  it  away  when  done, 
5 


66  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

than  to  bear  about  with  you  a  clumsy  cup.  Its  utility, 
then,  is  second  only  to  that  of  the  cocoa  palm. 

They  had  brought  up  huge  bundles  of  the  leaves 
from  the  river  below.  Slicing  the  under  side  of  the 
mid-rib  half-way  through  with  a  diagonal  cut,  leaving 
a  barb  by  which  to  attach  it  to  the  cross-pole,  Fran- 
cois handed  the  leaves  to  Joseph,  who  rapidly  placed 
them  in  position,  attached  to  the  pole  and  kept  in 
place  by  the  projecting  point,  one  row  overlapping 
the  other.  In  a  short  time  they  had  made  a  thick 
roof,  completely  impervious  to  water,  which  was  good 
for  a  week,  so  long  as  the  leaves  remained  green  and 
were  not  split  and  shrunken  by  the  sun. 

A  raised  platform  of  poles,  all  cut  with  the  cutlass, 
was  covered  with  a  good  layer  of  leaves,  and  upon 
this  I  spread  my  blanket  and  reposed  quietly  all  night, 
my  faithful  boys  stretched  upon  the  ground,  lulled  to 
sleep  by  the  rushing  of  the  waterfalls. 

"La  belle,"  the  firefly,  illumined  our  camp  in  the 
evening,  and  an  odorous  fire  of  the  gum  of  the  flam- 
beau-tree gave  both  light  and  fragrant  incense.  Over 
this,  Joseph,  in  his  French  patois  and  broken  Eng- 
lish, told  the  story  of  the  discovery  of  the  lake  by 
Mr.  Walt,  the  one  who  first  surmised  its  existence,  in 
1875.  This  gentleman,  a  magistrate  in  the  colony, 
was  prone  to  wander  in  the  mountains  in  search  of 
adventure.  One  day  he  had  penetrated  farther  than 
usual,  by  following  a  valley  that  led  up  into  the  inte- 
rior, and  noticed  in  the  air  distinct  and  powerful  sul- 
phur fumes.  Later,  he  set  out  to  ascertain  the  cause, 
taking  with  him  two  negroes  as  guides,  but,  through 
the  pusillanimity  of  his  men,  who  abandoned  him, 
was  lost  in  the  forest  for  several  days.  Let  Joseph 
tell  the  story : 


BOILING    LAKE    OF    DOMINICA.  6*] 

"Monsieur  Watt  he  walk,  walk,  walk,  pour  tree 
day  ;  he  lose  hees  clo's,  hees  pant  cut  off',  he  make 
nozing  pour  manger  but  root;  no  knife,  no  nozing; 
hees  guide  was  neegah  [the  mountaineers,  though 
some  of  them  negroes  themselves,  have  great  con- 
tempt for  town  negroes]  ;  zey  was  town  neegah,  and 
leab  him  and  loss  him.  He  come  to  black  man's 
house  in  ze  wood,  and  ze  black  man  zink  he  joi7zbte, 
and  he  run ;  when  he  come  back  wiz  some  mo'  men, 
for  look  for  jombie.  Monsieur  Watt  he  make  coople 
of  sign,  he  have  to  lost  hees  voice  and  was  not  speak, 
and  zey  deescover  heem." 

At  daybreak  we  were  stirring.  I  descended  the 
bank  and  waded  up  the  stream  to  take  my  morning 
bath.  There  were  two  streams,  one  hot,  one  cold, 
which  ran  in  near  channels,  meeting  below.  Fol- 
lowing the  warm  one,  stepping  from  pool  to  pool,  I 
reached  a  fall  about  twelve  feet  in  height,  surrounded 
by  a  wealth  of  tropical  plants,  from  the  depths  of 
which  it  suddenly  appeared.  And  it  was  hot  —  or 
just  as  hot  as  skin  could  bear  —  as  I  sidled  under  it, 
first  a  hand,  then  an  arm,  then  a  shoulder,  until  the 
whole  volume  of  warm  water  fell  squarely  upon  my 
head.  Ah  !  it  was  the  perfection  of  luxurious  sensa- 
tions. I  essayed  to  shout  aloud  in  my  delight,  but 
the  falling  water  drowned  my  voice,  and  I  paddled  in 
the  pool  in -silent  ecstasy,  drawing  in  long  breaths, 
and  allowing  the  rushing  of  the  water,  the  delicious 
warmth  of  the  bath,  the  flying  spray,  to  lull  me  to 
repose.  I  think  I  should  have  fallen  asleep  had  I 
not  been  warned,  by  slipping  from  the  rock  on  which 
I  sat,  that  I  was  becoming  unconscious.  It  was  too 
blissful  to  leave,  too  soothing,  and  I  stepped  from  un- 


68  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

der  the  warm  douche  only  to  return  again  and  again. 
Reaching  out  my  hand,  I  placed  it  in  a  stream  of  cold 
water,  sulphur  water  at  that,  while  I  sat  in  this  tepid 
bath. 

What  benefits  might  l?e  derived  by  those  unfor- 
tunates afflicted  with  rheumatism  and  kindred  com- 
plaints, from  a  dip  in  these  healing  waters  !  They 
would  need  a  balloon,  though,  as  means  of  convey- 
ance, for  only  travel-toughened  backs  and  sturdy 
limbs  can  accomplish  this  journey  at  present. 

My  guides  boiled  coffee,  and,  that  imbibed,  we 
shouldered  our  traps  and  marched  back  on  the  home- 
ward trail.  We  reached  the  first  Soufricre  —  the  val- 
ley of  desolation  —  and  halted,  to  allow  me  to  take  a 
few  photographs,  and  to  cook  our  breakfast.  The 
sulphur  fumes  were  so  strong  as  to  form  a  coating  of 
sulphide  of  silver  on  my  negatives,  but  not  to  an  ex- 
tent to  injure  them. 

The  largest  boiling  spring  is  five  feet  across.  As 
some  of  these  seemingly  boiling  springs  are  not  in 
complete  ebullition,  but  have  their  waters  agitated 
from  escape  of  gases,  I  took  care  to  plunge  my  ther- 
mometer into  all.  Several  registered  two  hundred 
and  eight  degrees  —  the  lake  is  more  than  two  thou- 
sand feet  above  sea-level  —  and  many  one  hundred 
and  forty  and  one  hundred  and  sixty  degrees.  One 
unfortunate  experimenter,  later  in  the  season,  plunged 
a  "  store  "  thermometer  into  one  of  these  springs,  and 
burst  it,  as  its  capacity  was  not  equal  to  such  high 
temperature. 

Perforating  the  broad  fields  of  calcined  stones  are 
little  holes,  whence  issue  steam  and  hot  air ;  very 
few  are  inactive.     Some,  on  the  hillside,  are  large 


BOILING    LAKE    OF    DOMINICA  69 

as  an  open  grate,  and  have  that  shape.  Into  these 
you  can  look  deep  down  into  black  holes,  sulphur 
crystals  in  beautiful  golden  needles  lining  throat  and 
flue.  It  required  great  care  not  to  break  through 
the  crust  in  many  places.  My  guide  was  constantly 
warning  me  :  "  Have  attention  where  you  make  you 
feets  ! " 

While  I  was  preparing  chemicals  and  collecting 
minerals,  my  boys  were  busily  cooking  our  break- 
fast; and  they  prepared  it  without  fire,  too,  and  so 
expeditiously  as  to  cause  me  wonder.  In  the  forest 
they  had  found  some  wild  yams;  Francois  had  shot 
a  few  giant  thrushes ;  there  were  a  few  eggs  remain- 
ing of  those  we  had  brought  with  us. 

Curiously  I  watched  them  at  their  work.  Tying 
the  yams  in  a  bit  of  cloth,  and  tying  that  to  the  end 
of  a  stick,  Joseph  thrust  them  into  the  large  boiling 
spring.  A  few  minutes  later — I  do  not  know  just 
how  many  —  he  drew  them  out  completely  boiled. 
The  eggs  were  treated  in  like  manner,  and  lastly  the 
birds.  Then  we  withdrew  to  the  shade  of  a  near 
clump  of  balisiers,  on  the  bank  of  a  clear  spring, 
plucked  a  few  leaves  for  plates,  for  cups,  for  napkins, 
for  protection  from  the  damp  earth  as  we  sat  down, 
sprinkled  our  curiously-cooked  food  with  pepper  and 
salt,  and  feasted  merrily,  though  half  strangled  by 
the  sulphur  fumes.  In  watching  this  cooking  process, 
I  could  not  but  think  of  our  own  wonderful  geysers 
in  the  Yellowstone,  where  explorers  caught  trout  in  a 
stream  and  cooked  them  in  a  boiling  spring,  without 
removing  the  fish  from  the  hook  or  changing  their 
own  positions. 

Then  we  turned  our  backs  upon  this  valley  of  won- 


70  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

ders  —  this  collection  of  craters  within  a  crater  long 
ago  inactive.  My  guides  placed  their  loads  upon 
their  heads,  and  we  climbed  the  hills,  keeping  time 
to  the  rhythmic  pulsations  of  a  steam-vent,  which 
ejected  its  vapor  with  regular  puffs,  the  din  of  which 
rang  through  the  forest. 

I  cannot  but  feel  how  poor  and  meagre  is  this 
description  of  that  wonderful  Boiling  Lake,  hid  in 
the  bosom  of  those  solitary  mountains  in  tiiat  tropical 
island.  The  time  may  come  —  and  it  will  be  better 
for  Americans  if  it  were  speedily  to  come  —  when  the 
great  attractions  of  these  islands  will  be  better  known, 
and  I  may  not  be  able  to  say,  as  I  sa}'  now  with  truth, 
I  am  the  only  American  who  has  seen  Dominica's 
Boiling  Lake. 

We  reached  Riviere  Dejeuner  just  at  dark.  I  was 
ahead.  And  here  let  me  explain  how  I  acquired 
a  reputation  as  a  pedestrian,  and  why,  if  you  speak 
of  the  writer  to  one  of  these  mountaineers,  he  will 
shrug  his  shoulders  and  exclaim,  "Ah!  Monsieur 
Fred,  he  walk  like  ze  debbil !"  Here  is  a  statement 
of  the  reason  ;  and  I  leave  it  to  any  sane  person  if 
he  would  not  have  done  the  same  under  similar  cir- 
stances  : 

Eacli  member  of  our  party  had  a  gun  —  my  four  men 
and  myself.  In  going  up  and  down  those  cliffs,  the 
guns  carried  by  my  guides  were  sure  to  point  at  me, 
no  matter  how  I  would  try  to  dodge  them.  If  I  lagged 
behind,  I  was  confronted  by  a  black  muzzle  ;  if  I  went 
ahead,  two  or  more  pointed  at  my  exposed  back. 
Now,  I  have  carried  a  gun  ever  since  I  could  well  use 
one,  and  for  two  years  have  had  one  constantly  by 
my  side ;  but  I  never  allow  one  to  be  pointed  at  me, 


BOILING    LAKE    OF    DOMINICA.  7 1 

if  I  am  aware  of  it.  Going  homeward,  I  stretched 
my  legs  to  their  utmost,  and  kept  ahead,  scrambhng 
over  rocks  and  tree-trunks,  and  swinging  myself  down 
steep  banks  by  the  roots  of  trees.  My  trowsers  were 
torn  into  shreds ;  the  perspiration  started,  legs  shook, 
and  arms  trembled.  But  I  was  determined  to  keep 
out  of  range  of  those  dreaded  guns  ;  and  I  did,  ar- 
riving at  my  cabin  full  half  an  hour  ahead  of  my 
guides,  who  had  supposed  me  lost  and  had  detailed 
two  of  their  number  to  look  me  up.  Jean  Baptiste, 
my  host  and  forager-for-food,  stood  in  the  doorway 
with  a  candle,  and  inside  there  stood  a  welcome  table 
with  a  good  supper  —  yams  and  eggs  and  tender 
mountain  cabbage. 

Speaking  of  my  hot  bath  to  Jean  Baptiste,  that 
jewel  instantly  exclaimed  that  he  had  forgotten  to 
show  me  the  best  in  the  island,  situated  only  a  gun- 
shot from  my  hut.  Next  day  we  visited  it.  Beneath 
tall  gommier  trees  stretching  down  lianes  forty  feet 
long,  shaded  by  broad-leaved  plantains,  was  a  pool 
twenty  feet  across,  made  by  damming  a  little  brooklet 
with  volcanic  rock.  Its  bottom  was  stone  and  gravel. 
A  tree-trunk  had  fallen  across  the  stream,  on  which  I 
threw  my  clothes.  The  runlet  was  tepid,  the  pool  a 
little  warmer.  Suddenly  my  foot  grew  hot,  as  though 
stung  by  a  scorpion,  and  I  became  aware  that  the 
pool  was  heated  from  below  by  small  jets  of  hot  water 
forced  up  through  crevices  in  the  rocky  crust.  How 
thick  was  that  crust?  Down  the  hillside,  into  the  bath, 
trickled  warm  water.  A  grotto  had  been  hollowed  out 
by  the  action  of  these  streams,  and  from  this  water 
was  spouted  in  hot  spray  and  jets,  heating  the  bath 
for  a  square  yard  around.    This  grotto  was  lined  with 


72  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

crystals  of  sulphur,  lime,  and  magnesia,  and  in  places 
was  green  like  chalcedony  —  a  most  beautiful  minia- 
ture of  some  cave  I  have  seen,  where  stalagmites  of 
every  shape  were  colored  by  salts  of  iron. 

Floating  in  this  healing  pool,  in  an  element  delight- 
fully warm,  I  resigned  myself  to  the  unalloyed  delight 
that  dripping  water,  tropical  plants,  and  trees,  and 
balmy  atmosphere,  all  contribute  to  induce.  Floating 
thus  in  dreamy  sensuousness,  I  wondered  vaguely 
why  this  free  life  of  the  forest,  untrammeled  by  care 
or  desire  of  gain,  could  not  always  exist  for  me.  It 
was  too  irksome  to  even  think  an  answer ;  impossible 
to  give  it  utterance ;  and  it  remains  unanswered  to 
this  day. 


AMONG    THE    CARIBS.  73 


CHAPTER    VI. 

AMONG    THE    CARIBS. 

THEIR  PEACEFUL  LIFE.  —  FRUITS  AND  FOOD.  —  THE  SECOND  VOY- 
AGE OF  COLUMBUS.  —  DISCOVERY  OF  THE  CARIBS.  —  FIERCE 
NATURE  AND  INTELLIGENCE  OF  THE  "  CANNIBAL  PAGANS."  — 
UNLIRE  THE  NATIVES  OF  THE  GREATER  ANTILLES.  —  THE 
CAKir.  RESERVATION  IN  DOMINICA.  —  MY  CAMP  IN  CARIB 
COUNTP.V. — TWO  SOVEREIGNS.  —  THE  VILLAGE.  —  THE  HOUSES. 

—  CATCHING  A   COOK.  —  A  TORCHLIGHT   PROCESSION. —  LIGHT- 
ING A   ROOM   WITH    FIRE-FLIES. —  "LOOK    ZE  COOK." — LABOR. 

—  DOMESTIC   RELATIONS.  —  A   DRUNKEN   INDIAN.  —  WILD   MEN 

AND    NAKED    CHILDREN. CARIB   PANNIERS.  —  THE    ONLY  ART 

PRESERVED  FROM   THEIR   ANCESTORS. 

IN  two  of  the  smaller  islands  of  the  Caribbean  Sea 
lives  a  vestige  of  a  once  powerful  people.  A 
people  with  a  history ;  an  unwritten  and  forgotten 
history,  running  back  unnumbered  ages,  farther  than 
we  can  trace  it ;  but  betjinninfj  to  be  known  to  civil- 
ized  man  when  the  existence  of  America  was  first  be- 
coming evident  to  his  awakened  senses. 

Peaceful  and  gentle,  singularly  mild  and  affectionate, 
they  dwell  happily  in  their  rude  houses  of  thatch,  draw- 
ing their  sustenance  from  mother  earth  with  occasional 
forays  upon  the  sea. 

Bananas,  plantains,  yams,  and  tanniers  are  the 
crops  they  cultivate,  and  altogether  rely  upon.  The 
bread-fruit  grows  about  their  cabins,  and  the  mango 


74  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

and  cocoa  palm,  embowering  their  dwellings  in  per- 
petual shade  ;  and  the  calabash  (furnishing  nearly  all 
their  vessels  for  culinary  use)  spreads  its  gnarled 
branches,  with  a  wealth  of  useful  products,  at  their 
doors.  Guavas  grow  wild,  and  the  berries  and  buds 
of  the  mountain  palm,  with  many  other  fruits  and  nuts 
of  the  forest,  furnish  them  with  food.  The  many 
rivers  yield  to  them  delicious  crayfish,  water  snails, 
and  limpets.  If  they  can  get  rum,  now  and  then,  they 
drink  it  and  are  happy  —  they  are  happy  any  way, 
even  without  this  occasional  luxury. 

In  a  land  that  is  theirs  by  right ;  beneatli  a  sky 
ever  genial,  though  not  alwaN's  smiling  ;  able  to  satisfy 
hunger  by  little  toil  in  the  garden,  or  exertion  upon 
the  sea,  or  in  the  river,  it  is  not  strange  that  they 
should  be  content  with  the  bounties  of  the  present,  nor 
care  to  question  the  precarious  prospects  of  the  future. 

In  the  morning  the  coolness  of  the  bath  provokes 
one  to  linger,  and  later  the  warmth  of  the  sun  seems 
to  warn  one  from  much  exertion,  while  the  heat  of 
mid-day  positively  forbids  it.  The  increased  coolness 
of  the  afternoon,  when  the  sun  dips  down  behind  the 
mountain  ridge,  leaving  two  good  hours  of  dreamy 
shadow,  tempts  one  to  give  one's  self  over  to  the  enjoy- 
ment of  mere  existence.  Thus  the  days  pass  away 
in  this  delightful  clime.  And  now,  that  you,  reader, 
may  better  understand  who  are  these  people  whom  I 
would  describe  in  the  following  pages,  allow  me  to  go 
back  a  few  centuries;  let  me  turn,  in  fact,  to  the  first 
page  in  American  history,  and  let  the  same  great  navi- 
gator who  opened  the  way  for  the  discovery  of  our 
continent,  relate  the  story  of  the  finding  of  the  Caribs. 

Columbus  sailed  away  from  Cadiz,  on  his  second 


AMONG    THE    CARIES.  75 

voyage,  with  a  large  fleet,  fully  equipped,  September 
25,  1493.  On  the  second  day  of  November  he  first 
sighted  land,  and  in  exploring  the  shores  of  the  island 
—  Guadeloupe  —  he  found  the  people  of  whom  he 
was  in  search.  "  Here  the  Spaniards  first  saw  the 
anana,  or  pine-apple,  the  flavor  and  fragrance  of 
which  astonished  and  delighted  them.  But  what 
struck  them  with  horror  was  the  sight  of  human  bones, 
vestiges,  as  they  supposed,  of  unnatural  repasts,  and 
skulls  apparently  used  as  vases  and  other  household 
utensils.  These  dismal  objects  convinced  them  that 
they  were  now  in  the  abodes  of  the  Cannibals,  or 
Caribs,  whose  predatory  expeditions  and  ruthless  char- 
acter rendered  them  the  terror  of  these  seas. 

"  In  several  hamlets  they  met  with  proofs  of  the 
cannibal  propensities  of  the  natives.  Human  limbs 
wef-e  suspended  to  the  beams  of  the  houses  as  if  curing 
for  provisions;  the  head  of  a  young  man,  recently 
killed,  was  yet  bleeding  ;  some  parts  of  his  body  were 
roasting  before  the  fire,  others  boiling  with  the  flesh 
of  geese  and  parrots." 

On  the  following  day  the  boats  landed  and  suc- 
ceeded in  taking  and  bringing  off  a  boy  and  several 
women.  From  them  Columbus  learned  that  the  in- 
habitants of  this  island  were  in  league  with  two  neigh- 
boring islands,  but  made  war  upon  all  the  rest.  They 
even  went  on  predatory  enterprises,  in  canoes  made 
from  the  hollowed  trunks  of  trees,  to  the  distance  of 
one  hundred  and  ffty  leagues. 

Their  arms  were  bows  and  arrows,  pointed  with  the 
bones  of  fishes  or  shells  of  tortoise,  and  poisoned  with 
the  juice  of  a  certain  herb.  They  made  descents 
upon  the  islands,  ravaged  the  villages,  carried  off  the 


76  CAMPS    IN   THE   CARIBBEES. 

youngest  and  handsomest  of  the  women,  and  made 
prisoners  of  the  men,  to  be  killed  and  eaten.  "The 
admiral  learned  from  them  that  most  of  the  men  of 
the  island  were  absent,  the  king  having  sailed  some 
time  before,  with  ten  canoes  and  three  hundred  war- 
riors, on  a  cruise  in  quest  of  prisoners  and  booty. 
When  the  men  went  forth  on  these  expeditions,  the 
women  remained  to  defend  their  shores  from  inva- 
sion." 

This  island  of  Guadeloupe  was  their  northernmost 
stronghold.  Continuing  his  cruise  northward,  to- 
ward Haspaniola,  and  coasting  the  islands,  Columbus 
discovered  the  last  resident  Caribs  at  Santa  Cruz. 
Here  a  boat's  crew  of  Spaniards  attacked  an  Indian 
canoe  containing  several  men  and  women.  The  fight 
was  long  and  desperate.  Even  after  the  canoe  was 
overturned  the  Indians  fought  in  the  water,  "discharg- 
ing their  arrows  while  swimming,  as  dexterously  as 
though  they  had  been  upon  firm  land  ;  and  the  women 
fought  as  fiercely  as  the  men." 

"  The  hair  of  these  savages  was  long  and  coarse ; 
their  eyes  were  encircled  with  paint,  so  as  to  give 
them  a  iiideous  expression  ;  and  bands  of  cotton  were 
bound  firmly  above  and  below  the  muscular  parts  of 
the  arms  and  legs,  so  as  to  cause  them  to  swell  to  a 
disproportioned  size."  Humboldt  makes  mention  of 
this  custom,  in  vogue  among  the  Caribs  of  South 
America,  in  the  early  part  of  the  present  century. 

"The  warlike  and  unyielding  character  of  these 
people,  so  different  from  that  of  the  pusillanimous 
nations  around  them,  and  the  wide  scope  of  their  en- 
terprises and  wanderings,  like  those  of  the  nomad 
tribes  of  the  Old  World,  entitle  them  to  distinguished 


AMONG    THE    CARIES.  77 

attention.  They  were  trained  to  war  from  their  in- 
fancy. As  soon  as  they  could  walk,  their  intrepid 
mothers  put  in  their  hands  the  bow  and  arrow,  and 
prepared  them  to  take  an  early  part  in  the  hardy 
enterprises  of  their  fathers.  Their  distant  roamings 
by  sea  made  them  observant  and  intelligent.  The 
natives  of  the  other  islands  only  knew  how  to  divide 
time  by  day  and  night,  by  the  sun  and  moon  ;  whereas 
these  had  acquired  some  knowledge  of  the  stars,  by 
which  to  calculate  the  times  and  seasons." 

This  is  the  account,  drawn  mainlv  from  Irving  of 
the  discovery  and  condition  of  the  hrst  cannibals  ever 
beheld  by  white  men.  This  second  voyage  of  Colum- 
bus commenced  under  flattering  auspices  :  to  find  at 
the  outset  a  new  people,  a  new  fruit;  to  add  to  the 
language  at  least  two  new  words  —  Carib  and  Can- 
nibal^—  this  were  enough  to  satisfy  any  explorer. 

But  Columbus  was  in  search  of  gold.  He  could  not 
brook  delay  in  a  country  where  the  precious  metal  did 
not  exist ;  and  though  the  forests  were  filled  with 
countless  trees  possessing  spicy  gums  and  rare  virtues, 
he  could  not  stop  to  put  them  to  the  test.  He  sailed 
away  nortli  after  capturing  some  women  and  children. 

The  mind  of  the  great  admiral  was  keenly  alive  to 
any  opportunity  for  serving  his  sovereigns  and  himself. 
Finding  no  gold,  he  looked  about  for  some  means  of 
making  it.  He  sent  the  captive  Caribs  home  to  Spain 
to  be  sold  as  slaves.  And  this  is  how  the  great  and 
good  Columbus  proposed  to  reimburse  his  sovereigns 
for  their  outlay,  and  to  furnish  the  colony  with  live- 
stock. "  In  this  way  the  peaceful  islanders  would  be 
freed  from  warlike  and  inhuman  neighbors  ;  the  royal 
revenue  would  be  greatly  enriched,  and  a  vast  number 


78  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

of  souls  would  be  snatched  from  perdition,  and  carried, 
as  it  were,  by  main  force  to  heaven." 

Though  the  gentle  and  humane  Isabella  would  not 
listen  to  this  monstrous  scheme,  there  is  little  likeli- 
hood that  it  would  have  succeeded  with  the  Caribs ; 
for  those  old  conquistador es^  though  valiant  inquisi- 
tors, rarely  measured  swords  with  these  antagonists 
who  loved  to  fight.  Although,  a  niatter  of  history, 
the  followers  of  Columbus  murdered  more  than  a  mil- 
lion of  the  peaceful  inhabitants  of  the  larger  islands  — 
Cuba,  Haiti,  Jamaica,  Porto  Rico — who  were  dis- 
covered in  a  state  of  happiness  and  innocence,  they 
always  evaded  encounters  with  the  "  Pagan  Cannibals." 
Thus  to  the  prowess  of  their  ancestors  are  the  Caribs 
of  the  present  day  indebted  for  their  existence,  when 
not  a  vestige  remains  of  the  more  numerous  but  peace- 
ful tribes  north  of  them. 

But  I  did  not  intend,  in  digressing,  to  follow  the 
voyages  of  Columbus ;  to  describe  how  he  converted 
these  fair  islands,  teeming  with  happy  life,  into  hells 
of  misery,  and  left  behind  him  and  his  monsters  a  trail 
of  blood  and  fire.  It  was  merely  to  begin  at  the  be- 
ginning, to  bring  before  you  the  Carib  as  he  was  when 
found,  nearly  four  centuries  ago,  and  to  show,  by  con- 
trast with  his  present  life,  how  he  has  been  almost 
civilized  cut  of  existence. 

I  had  been  a  month  in  the  interior  of  Dominica, 
living  in  the  woods,  hunting  new  birds,  and  enjoying 
the  novel  experiences  of  camp  life  in  tropical  moun- 
tains. From  time  to  time  came  reports  from  the  Carib 
country,  that  only  strengthened  the  determination  I  had 
formed  of  penetrating  to  their  stronghold.  That  they 
lived  secluded  from  the  world,  held  no   intercourse 


AMONG    THE    CARIBS.  79 

with  other  people  ;  naked  they  wandered  at  will  in  the 
forest ;  without  houses,  they  slept  on  the  ground  on 
beds  of  leaves.  Sending  my  collections  of  birds  to 
the  coast  and  ordering  thence  a  fresh  supply  of  provis- 
ions and  ammunition,  I  left  the  Caribbean  side  of  the 
island  and  marched  over  the  mountains  toward  the 
Atlantic,  with  three  stout  girls  and  a  man  laden  with 
my  effects.  The  journey  was  to  occupy  two  days,  as 
the  rivers  were  swollen.  They  had  "  come  down," 
in  the  language  of  the  country ;  but  when  a  river  is 
"down"  in  the  West  Indies  it  is  up  —  having  rushed 
down  from  the  mountains,  swollen  by  some  heavy 
rain,  and  flooded  the  lowlands. 

The  Carib  reservation  in  Dominica  extends  from 
Mahoe  River  to  Crayfish  River,  a  distance  of  about 
three  miles  along  the  Atlantic  coast,  and  away  back 
into  tlie  mountains  as  far  as  they  please  to  cultivate. 
Though  each  family  has  a  little  garden  adjacent 
to  the  dwelling,  any  individual  can  select  an  un- 
occupied piece  of  ground  on  the  neighboring  hills, 
or  mountain  sides,  for  cultivation.  All  their  provision 
grounds  (as  are  called  the  mountain  gardens  where 
the  staple  fruits  and  vegetables*  are  grown)  are  at  a 
distance  from  the  house,  some  even  two  miles  away, 
solitary  openings  made  in  the  depths  of  the  high 
woods.  As  the  soil  in  general  is  very  thin,  and  does 
not  support  a  crop  for  many  successive  years,  these 
gardens  are  being  constantly  made  afresh. 

As  I  rode  along,  every  house  seemed  deserted ;  no 
face   appeared,   and  I    met  no   one  save  the-  ancient 

*  These  are,  the  Yam  {Dioscorea  sativa  and  D.  alata) ;  the 
Sweet  Potato  {Batatas  edulis);  the  Cassava  {Jatropha  manihot 
and  J.  janipha)  ;  Banana  {Miisa  paradisiaca) ;  Plantain  {Musa 
sapiefttu/n),  and  Tannier  {Caladium  sagittcefolium). 


So  CAMPS    IN   THECARIBBEES. 

t 

king,  old  George,  who  was  named  for  King  George 
the  Third,  tottering  toward  the  plantations,  to  spend 
for  rum  some  money  he  had  earned.  There  were  two 
sovereigns,  in  fact,  for  the  Carib  chief  held  in  his 
hand  a  golden  one,  of  English  coinage.  The  houses 
are  low  and  thatched  deeply  with  calumet  grass  tied 
in  bundles  and  lashed  tightly  upon  frame-works  of 
poles.  Some  of  them  were  open  at  the  sides,  though 
a  few  were  built  up  at  sides  and  ends,  with  wooden 
doors  and  shutters.  Near  each  hut  is  the  cook-house, 
a  roof  of  thatch  supported  upon  four  poles  ;  or  again, 
merely  a  "lean-to,"  the  roof  slanting  up  from  the 
ground  with  just  room  enough  for  the  cook  to  squat 
under  while  attending  the  fire. 

Beneath  this  roof,  on  a  few  stones  which  support 
the  cooking-utensils,  is  usually  an  old  iron  pot,  which 
serves  a  variety  of  uses.  Twice  a  day  it  is  brought 
into  requisition  for  the  household  ;  at  other  times  it  is 
open  to  the  inspection  of  hogs  and  strangers.  The 
rudest  cabins,  but  at  the  same  time  the  most  pictu- 
resque, were  those  composed  wholly  of  grass  and  reeds 
with  wattled  sides,  looking  like  the  huge  stacks  of 
grass  one  sees  on  marshes  and  meadows  in  America. 
Even  the  doors  of  these  huts  were  made  of  canes  and 
flags,  wattled  together  with  reeds,  while  the  windows 
were  merely  loop-holes.  The  roads,  though  narrow 
bridle-paths,  are  good,  as  the  Caribs  seem  to  take  a 
pride  in  keeping  them  in  order.  Either  through  fear 
or  pride  they  obey  all  the  laws  imposed  upon  them  by 
the  crown  and  colony,  and  always  perform  their  quota 
of  road  labor  without  a  murmur. 

The  path  turned  suddenly,  and  at  the  base  of  the 
hill  we  came  abruptly  upon  the  Riviere  Saint  Marie, 


AMONG   THE    CARIES. 


8l 


^N    Indian    J<^itchen. 


where,  sporting  in  the  water,  were  several  naked 
children,  and  a  girl  and  woman  washing  clothes.  Of 
course,  there  was  a  general  stampede  as  I  crossed  the 
river;  and  one  could  not  have  told,  five  minutes  later, 
but  for  the  garments  drying  on  the  rocks,  that  there 
had  been  a  Carib  near.  I  rode  up  a  gentle  eminence, 
and  was  introduced  to  the  house  in  which  I  was  to 
reside  for  a  short  time.  But  one  family  lived  near, 
an  old  Carib  woman  with  five  children. 

The  first  object  conveying  a  hint  of  the  proximity  of 
Salibia,  the  Carib  village,  is  a  cross  —  indicating  the 
religion  of  the  people  and  the  site  of  a  cemetery.  It 
stands  up  lone  and  majestic,  a  background  of  hills 
giving  it  prominence,  its  arms  stretched  out  gaunt 
6 


Si  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

and  bare,  to  which  the  continual  trade-winds  have 
given  a  color,  gra}*  and  weather-beaten.  Palm  and 
plantain  crop  out  on  the  hillsides  beyond,  and  the 
former  thrusts  its  head  up  from  the  river  ravines  be- 
low. Behind  it,  hid  by  the  swell  of  the  knoll,  are  the 
graves  —  not  many,  yet  not  few,  for  so  small  a  settle- 
ment —  simply  raised  hillocks  of  earth ;  and  some 
have  upon  them  a  few  flowers,  which  seem  to  be 
occasionally  renewed.  Upon  the  graves,  all  the  trees 
have  fallen  prostrate,  or  have  been  felled,  to  cover 
them ;  with  limbs  stretched  at  the  foot  of  the  cross. 
I  have  never  been  in  a  cemetery  tliat  so  appealed  to 
my  feelings  as  this.     All  is  still,  and  solitude  reigns. 

From  the  slight*  depression  of  the  surface  here, 
nothing  is  seen  evincing  human  occupancy  of  the 
valley,  until  the  foot  of  the  cross  is  reached.  Many 
an  evening,  during  my  six  weeks'  stay  in  that  lonely 
valley,  have  I  climbed  to  the  base  of  the  cross  and  sat 
there  enjoying  the  silence  and  solitude.  From  thr.t 
point  one  overlooks  the  lower  half  of  the  valley,  which 
is  shut  in  on  three  sides  by  high  hills  covered  with 
forest,  abandoned  fields,  and  provision  grounds,  alter- 
nating. Beneath,  the  most  prominent  object  is  a  rude 
chapel,  a  loosely-built  structure,  to  which  comes 
monthly  a  lusty  priest,  to  care  for  the  souls  and  the 
silver  of  the  people.  Lower  still,  are  the  four  or  five 
thatched  huts  comprising  the  village  of  Salibia ;  but 
one  of  these  is  occupied,  and  the  cocoa  palms  rustle 
their  leaves  in  a  desolate  place ;  and  their  rustling, 
with  the  eternal  roar  of  the  ocean,  is  the  only  sound 
heard  from  morning  to  night. 

There  are  sea-grapes  there  in  perfumed  bloom, 
among  the  satin  leaves  of  which  dart  humming-birds, 


AMONG    THE    CARIBS.  83 

sugar-birds,  and  drowsy  bees.  This  is  the  valley  in 
which  I  became  acquainted  with  the  "  Cannibal 
Caribs  "  of  Columbus,  this  secluded  spot  on  the  At- 
lantic coast  of  Dominica,  in  the  month  of  April,  1877- 

As  servant  and  guide  I  was  fortunate  in  securing  a 
half  Carib,  named  Meyong.  At  least,  Meyong  was 
the  nearest  English  equivalent  for  his  barbarous  French 
name.  He  was,  as  I  have  said,  but  half  a  Carib  ;  the 
other  half  was  black  ;  colors  so  deftly  mingled,  so 
skillfully  laid  on,  that  they  resulted  in  a  rich  olive 
brown  —  quite  a  fiishionable  shade.  Meyong  hunted 
with  me,  found  for  me  people  to  do  my  heavy  work, 
ate  my  food  and  drank  my  rum,  and  slept.  He  did 
everything  but  work  ;  and  yet  he  was  the  most  faith- 
ful, trustworthy  servant  I  ever  had,  and  anything  I 
wanted  he  would  get,  or,  if  too  much  trouble  for  him, 
induce  some  one  to  get  for  me.  He  studied  my  wants 
so  closely  that  I  had  ever  a  retinue  of  willing  young- 
sters at  beck  and  call,  all  conjured  up  by  Meyong 
to  relieve  his  labors.  His  faithfulness  and  literal 
obedience  to  orders  are  well  illustrated  by  the  manner 
in  which  he  procured  for  me  a  cook. 

We  passed  several  weeks  tranquilly  together.  My 
hammock  swung  in  the  breeze  at  night,  and  I  was 
careful  not  to  hunt  in  the  breathless  heat  of  noon. 
But  there  comes  an  end,  sooner  or  later,  to  human 
enjoyment.  Our  cook,  Meyong's  sister,  concluded, 
without  warning,  to  visit  a  friend  on  the  far  side  of 
the  mountain  ;  and  one  day,  when  my  guide  and  my- 
self returned  hot  and  weary  from  the  hunt,  the  sun  at 
meridian  and  the  parched  earth  radiating  heat  like  a 
furnace,  there  was  no  breakfast,  and  no  one  to  get  it, 
either. 


84  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

The  gentleness  of  that  animal,  man,  when,  upon 
returning  to  his  domicil,  he  finds  a  meal  unprepared, 
is  proverbial.  He  has  been  known  to  endure  without 
a  murmur,  for  at  least  three  minutes,  by  the  aid  of  the 
morning  paper;  but  I  had  no  paper — had  not  seen 
one  in  two  months'  time  —  and  imagine,  if  possible, 
the  totality  of  patience  necessary  to  endure  the  prepa- 
ration of  a  breakfast,  while,  even  at  the  time  your  ap- 
petite is  raging,  and  hunger  gnawing  at  your  vitals, 
the  potatoes  and  plantains  are  slumbering  on  the  hill- 
side, and  the  fish  still  disporting  themselves  in  their 
watery  element.  It  is  not  at  all  wonderful  if  I  said  to 
Meyong,  in  my  placid  intervals,  that  we  must  have 
another  cook  at  once,  even  if  we  had  to  send  to  town 
for  one.  He  acquiesced  in  this  decision,  but  said 
nothing  more,  for  he  was  as  sparing  of  speech  as  of 
muscle,  and  soon  afterward  disappeared. 

Thinking  he  had  gone  in  pursuit  of  a  dove,  whose 
mournful  note  I  had  heard  above  me,  I  retired  to  my 
cabin,  after  a  frugal  lunch,  to  sleep.  Later  in  the 
afternoon,  even  after  I  had  prepared  all  my  speci- 
mens of  the  morning,  and  the  shadows  of  the  hills 
were  drawing  themselves  across  the  valley,  he  came 
not.  The  sun  went  down,  leaving  the  valley  cool  and 
delightful,  and  darkness  drew  swiftly  near.  The 
stars  came  out,  and  all  about  my  cabin  was  silent  as 
the  grave,  and  dark.  My  boy  had  not  returned ; 
I  sat  in  my  doorway  till  late,  it  must  have  been  nine 
o'clock,  and  was  about  retiring,  when  my  attention 
was  arrested  by  a  noise.  It  grew  louder,  and  then  I 
saw  a  light  gleam  and  disappear.  I  watched  for  it  till 
again  it  shone  out,  at  the  top  of  a  rising  knoll,  much 


AMONG    THE    CARIBS.  85 

nearer,  and  I  could  distinguish  two  torches,  held  aloft 
by  unsteady  hands,  approaching  through  the  forest. 

What  did  it  mean  ? 

The  noise  increased,  and  when  the  lights  flashed 
nearer  I  saw  there  were  three  persons :  two  holding 
the  torches,  which  sent  up  broad  flame  and  thick 
smoke,  supporting  between  them  another  who  ap- 
peared unable  to  walk  unaided.  They  were  shouting 
some  bacchanalian  song,  and  their  unsteady  move- 
ments convinced  me  that  they  were  intoxicated.  In  a 
few  minutes  they  would  be  at  my  door,  as  they  were 
already  at  the  river,  and  then  there  might  be  trouble ; 
for,  though  quiet  enough  when  sober,  the  Carib  will 
sometimes  quarrel  when  drunk. 

Acting  upon  the  resolution  of  the  instant,  I  barri- 
caded door  and  window,  slipped  a  couple  of  cartridges 
into  my  gun,  and  retii'ed  to  my  hammock.  By  this 
time  they  were  upon  me,  pounding  heavily  at  my 
door,  and  shouting,  in  unintelligible  French,  threats, 
entreaties,  imprecations.  But  I  kept  silence,  which 
only  exasperated  them  the  more,  and  at  last  I  heard 
one  of  them  say,  "  I  will  see  if  he  is  there  ;  "  and  then, 
later,  when  I  thought  they  had  gone,  my  attention 
was  drawn,  by  a  slight  rustling,  to  a  crack  in  the 
walls,  and  I  saw  sailing  into  the  room  one  after  an- 
other, tiny  sparks  of  fire,  glowing  with  a  greenish 
phosphorescent  light.  They  did  not  drop  inert,  these 
sparks,  nor  did  they  set  fire  to  my  thatch,  for  they 
were  sparks  of  the  animal  kingdom,  elaters,  fire- 
flies, two  of  which  will  give  out  sufficient  light  to 
read  by. 

Would  any  one  but  an  Indian,  a  child  of  the  forest, 
have  thought  of  this  original  way  of  lighting  an  apart- 
ment? 


86 


CAMPS    IN    THK    CARIBBEES. 


These  little  gleaming  messengers  increased  in  num- 
ber, and  the  darkness  was  crossed  and  re-crossed  by 
fiery  trails  of  light ;  and  still  the  busy  fingers  of  my 
assailants  thrust  them  in  more  and  more.  At  last  it 
became  quite  light,  and  by  an  inadvertent  movement 
I  exposed  myself.    With  a  shout,  they  proclaimed  the 

success  of  their  de- 
vice, and  demanded 
I  should  let  them 
in.  But  this  I  would 
not  do,  and  they 
later  subsided,  after 
howling  themselves 
hoarse.  Before  the 
termination  of  the 
entertainment  I  had 
fallen  asleep,  and  did 
not  awake  until  early 
the  next  morning. 

Just  beforethe  river, 
which  ran  near  my 
hut,  trickles  through 
the  huge  rocks  to  the 
ocean,  it  leaves  sev- 
eral small  pools,  hol- 
lowed from  the  solid  rock  by  the  waves.  The  sun 
rises  so  quickly  in  that  latitude,  coming  up  hot  and 
glaring  from  the  waves,  that  a  bath,  to  be  refresh- 
ing, must  be  taken  at  dawn.  The  morning  was  cool 
and  cloudy ;  a  few  birds  were  chirping  as  I  stepped 
from  my  doorway.  I  drew  back  suddenly,  saluted 
by  a  blast  from  what  I  thought  must  be  an  asthmatic 
fish-horn.     Peering  cautiously  out,  I  ascertained,  by 


Jype 


AMONG    THE    CARIBS.  87 

the  rapidly  increasing  ligiit,  that  the  noise  had  a 
harmless  source,  though  I  was  correct  in  my  con- 
jecture that  it  proceeded  from  a  horn,  for  it  came  from 
my  Indian  friends  of  the  preceding  night,  who  had 
indeed  taken  a  horn  too  much.  Tracing  this  mighty 
snore  to  its  source,  I  saw  that  it  was  produced  by  the 
combined  efforts  of  three  individuals,  who  lay  stretched 
upon  the  grass  beneath  the  palms.  There  was  my 
boy,  and  another  Indian,  and  between  them,  secured 
by  ropes  of  vines,  a  girl  of  about  eighteen. 

As  I  was  curiously  regarding  this  group,  Meyong 
awoke,  and  eying  me  with  a  look  of  triumph,  ex- 
claimed : 

"Ah,  monsieur,  you  no  savez  ;  look,  ze  cook!" 

It  was  too  true  ;  the  lawless  savage  had  made  un- 
successful attempts  to  hire  a  cook  the  previous  after- 
noon, and  late,  meeting  this  girl  in  the  forest,  had 
captured  her  with  the  aid  of  his  friend.  And  I,  think- 
ing these  zealous  friends  had  approached  my  hut  with 
dire  intent,  had  locked  them  out  and  gone  supperless 
to  bed. 

Among  men  and  women,  labor  is  equally  divided. 
In  the  house,  the  woman  is  supposed  to  do  all  the 
work,  but  in  the  gardens  and  in  the  woods  they  work 
together.  She  prepares  all  the  food  and  makes  the 
fires ;  and,  as  there  seems  to  exist  a  perfect  under- 
standing on  this  point,  it  is  not  so  fruitful  a  source  of 
discontent  as  in  other  and  less-favored  climes. 

The  women  are  generally  well  treated  and  loved. 
An  old  writer  says,  the  Caribs  were  noted  for  their  in- 
difference to  their  women,  while  the  tribes  of  neigh- 
boring islands  were  excessively  fond  of  their  wives. 
Those  other  tribes  are   now  extinct ;    but  the  Carib 


88  CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 

character  must  have  most  wonderfully  changed,  for 
they  now  treat  their  wives  well,  even  love  them.  For 
certain  misdemeanors  they  claim  the  privilege,  and 
exercise  it,  too,  of  beating  them  soundly.  If  a  woman 
quarrel  w'ith  another,  of  whom  she  is  jealous  with 
regard  to  her  husband's  affections,  she  is  generally 
treated  by  her  lord  to  an  interview  with  the  stick. 
But  as  a  community,  they  dwell  together  in  amity, 
loving  one  another,  and  taking  affectionate  interest 
in  their  children. 

One  day,  upon  the  solicitations  of  an  Indian,  I  went 
to  his  hut  to  see  a  native  dance.  This  man  was 
very  drunk  ;  as  he  approached  his  hut  he  darted  in 
and  called  for  his  wife.  What  was  my  astonishment 
to  see  him,  instead  of  pounding  her,  throw  his  arm 
around  her  neck  and  kiss  her. 

I  had  been  among  them  two  weeks  before  I  knew 
there  were  Indians  in  the  woods  about  me,  other  than 
those  living  along  and  near  the  road.  But  one  after- 
noon, in  a  hunt  among  the  hills,  I  discovered  four 
huts,  the  inmates  of  which,  unless  suddenly  surprised, 
hid  themselves  at  my  approach.  They  were  dressed 
very  meagerly  :  a  shirt  for  the  men,  and  for  the  women 
a  torn  skirt.  In  the  woods  and  in  the  provision- 
grounds,  I  met  children,  from  eight  to  thirteen  years 
old,  entirely  naked.  These  people  never  appear  to 
the  white  inhabitants  ;  they  make  a  few  baskets  which 
their  neighbors  dispose  of  for  them,  but  they  never 
leave  the  woods,  not  having  overcome  their  original 
savagery. 

Basket-making  is  the  only  art  they  have  preserved 
from  the  teachings  of  their  ancestors ;  but  in  this  they 
indeed  excel.      Their   baskets  have  such   a   reputa- 


AMONG    THE    CARIBS.  89 

tion  throughout  all  the  islands  that  they  command 
large  prices,  and  were  it  not  for  their  innate  laziness, 
and  the  scarcity  of  the  peculiar  shrub  of  which  the 
baskets  are  composed,  these  people  might  attain  to  a 
degree  of  affluence.  These  "panniers,"  or  baskets, 
are  made  of  all  sizes,  some  large  as  a  common  trunk. 
Tiiey  are  made,  sometimes,  of  a  reed  called  roseau, 
but  the  best  are  made  from  a  plant  called  the  inakoc, 
which  is  now  so  scarce  that  the  basket-makers  have 
to  take  long  journeys  into  the  forests  to  obtain  it. 

By  burying  it  in  the  ground,  and  using  for  some  the 
Juices  of  certain  plants,  they  give  to  the  plaits  a  variety 
of  colors.  There  are  two  thicknesses,  and  between 
them  layers  of  the  wild  plantain,  which  make  them  per- 
fectly water-tight.  I  have  one  which  was  in  use  nearly 
a  year,  being  constantly  carried  on  the  heads  of  my 
attendants;  and  even  yet  it  will,  I  think,  hold  water. 
All  the  country  people  desire  to  possess  a  pannier,  or 
Carib  basket,  which  serves  them  as  a  light  and  port- 
able trunk. 


go  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

SOCIAL   LIFE,    APPEARANCE,    AND    LANGUAGE    OF 
THE    CARIES. 

HAPPY  CHILDREN.  —  CLEANLINESS.  —  PRIMITIVE  INNOCENCE.  — 
A  MODEST  MAIDEN. — DRESS.  —  FACE  AND  FIGURE.  —  FLAT- 
TENING THE  FOREHEAD.  —  UGLY  MEN  AND  WOMEN.  —  CARIB 
HOSPITALITY.  —  THE  BASKET- WEAVER.  —  TROPIC  NOONTIDE. — 
RELIGION. —  THE  DYING  WOMAN. —  A  LOST  SKELETON. —  BURIAL 
OF  THE  DEAD. —  THE  WAKE. —  ST.  VINCENT  CARIES. —  TWO  DIA- 
LECTS.—  THE  AROWAKS.  —  AN  AGREEABLE  TONGUE.  —  VOCAB- 
ULARY.—  CALIBAN    A    CARIB,    AND    CRUSOE'S    MAN    FRIDAY. — 

CRUSOE'S   ISL.AND BLACK   CARIBS.  —  WEAPONS  AND  UTENSILS 

OF  .STONE.  —  "THUNDERBOLTS."  —  CARIB  SCULPTURE.  —  A  SAC- 
RIFICIAL STONE.  —  WHENCE  CAME  THEY?  —  THEIR  NORTHERN 
LIMIT. — A  SOUTHERN  ORIGIN.  —  THEIR  LOST  ARTS. — A  DYING 
PEOPLE. 

THE  Carib  children  should  be  the  happiest  on 
earth.  Unencumbered  by  clothing,  they  wan- 
der over  the  hills  and  along  the  shore  as  they  feel 
disposed.  The  rocky  rivers  give  them  delightful  re- 
treats from  the  sun,  where  they  paddle  in  the  pools, 
hunt  for  crayfish,  and  sleep  upon  the  broad  bosoms 
of  the  rocks.  Either  from  habits  of  cleanliness  or 
love  of  the  water,  every  member  of  a  household  takes 
a  daily  bath  in  the  river.  They  are  consequently 
always  clean,  and,  though  ragged,  are  entirely  free 
from  those  odors  which  make  the  sable  brother  so 
offensive.     If  their  garments  get  soiled,  they  soon  re- 


INDIAN    HOME    LIFE.  9I 

move  them,  even  if  they  have  to  wash  them  while 
themselves  naked,  and  wait  in  the  shade  while  they 
dry  in  the  sun.  In  washing  they  use  their  hands  in 
scrubbing  the  clothes,  and  do  not  belabor  them  with 
clubs,  as  in  the  more  civilized  districts,  and  in  Mar- 
tinique, where  the  sound  of  the  washing  is  loud  in 
the  land. 

The  prettiest  picture  of  Indian  life  I  have  seen  was 
during  a  hunt  in  a  secluded  nook  among  the  hills 
behind  the  settlement  of  Salibia.  The  Riviere  Col- 
lette  tumbles  over  and  among  great  rocks,  through 
narrow  chasms  shaded  by  tree-ferns  and  mountain 
palms.  INIany  water  plants  grow  in  clumps,  and  little 
pools  are  formed  among  the  rocks.  As  I  was  leap- 
ing the  stones,  in  crossing,  I  heard  a  low  murmur  of 
song,  and  looking  up,  saw  a  young  girl  of  sixteen 
sittini£  on  a  large  bowlder,  mendin(j  a  handkerchief. 
Around  her,  drying  in  the  sun,  were  her  clothes, 
which  she  had  washed  —  probably  all  she  possessed. 
She  was  so  absorbed  in  her  work,  so  carelessly  happy 
in  the  freedom  of  this  wild  seclusion,  that  I  had  nearly 
crossed  before  she  observed  me,  when,  with  maid- 
enly modesty,  she  covered  her  face  with  the  handker- 
chief. 

The  majority  of  the  people  go  about  lamentably 
ragged.  There  are  few  shoes  and  stockings  in  the 
community,  and  those  who  have  them  only  put  them 
on  upon  great  occasions,  when  they  appear  ill  at  ease, 
cramped  and  uncomfortable.  So  it  is  with  regard 
to  dress  ;  while,  with  a  dress  well  made  and  fitting 
nicely,  the  women  consider  themselves  magnificently 
arrayed,  to  me  they  appeared  at  a  great  disadvantage. 
In  short  frock  descending  to  the  knees,  gathered  about 


92  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

the  hips  with  a  twist  of  lialine,  or  forest  vine,  their 
hair  contained  in  a  simple  kerchief,  or,  better,  flowing 
in  luxuriant  tresses  down  their  backs,  as  they  appear 
when  going  to  labor  in  the  forest,  they  are  in  perfect 
character. 

This  brings  me  to  speak  of  the  appearance  of  the 
Caribs,  of  their  form  and  color,  which  make  them 
different  from  people  of  other  nationalities.  Through 
the  changes  of  climate  and  residence,  and  the  greater 
changes  wrought  by  intermarriage  with  other  tribes 
and  with  the  negroes,  the  true  Carib  type  is  likely 
soon  to  be  lost.  It  is,  however,  lighter  in  complexion 
than  that  of  the  North  American  Indian,  —  so  light, 
that,  from  their  peculiar  cast  of  golden-brown,  they 
have  acquired  the  name  of  Yellow  Indians.  From 
my  photographs  it  will  be  seen  that  the  type  is  more 
of  the  Mongol  than  of  any  other.  A  peculiar  instance 
came  under  my  observation  in  one  hamlet,  where  a 
Chinaman  —  pure  Mongolian  —  had  married  a  yellow 
Carib.  Their  progeny,  a  numerous  family  of  chil- 
dren, could  not  be  distinguished  from  the  Indian  chil- 
dren around  them.  One  beautiful  feature  about  them 
is  their  hair,  which  is  abundant,  long,  and  purple- 
black  ;  it  is  finer  than  that  of  our  Indians,  though  not 
so  fine  as  that  of  the  Caucasian  type.* 

Though  early  losing  the  grace  and  symmetry  of 
form  of  childliood,  through  labor  in  the  fields,  ex- 
posure to  tlie  sun,  and  a  natural  tendency  to  corpu- 

*  "  That  cacique  that  was  a  stranger  had  his  wife  staying  at  the 
port  where  we  ankored,  and  in  all  my  life  I  have  seldom  seene  a 
better  favored  woman.  She  was  of  good  stature,  with  blacke  eies, 
fat  of  body,  of  an  excellent  countenance,  her  haire  almost  as  long 
as  hirselfe,  tied  up  againe  in  pretie  knots."  —  Sir  W.  Raleigh's 
Discovery  of  Guiana. 


INDIAN    HOME    LIFE.  93 

lency,  both  men  and  women  preserve  the  shapeliest 
of  limbs.  The  arms  of  the  men  are  extremely  mus- 
cular, and  their  breasts  huge  knots  of  muscle.  The 
head  is  well  shaped  and  gracefully  poised.  This,  as 
well  as  the  straightness  of  the  back,  and  backward 
throw  of  the  broad  shoulders,  may  be  owing  to  the 
universal  practice  of  carrying  every  kind  of  load  upon 
the  head.  The  custom  of  flattening  the  forehead  by 
compression,  which  was  universal  until  the  commence- 
ment of  the  present  century,  is  not  now  practiced. 

Let  me  subjoin  a  description  of  a  boy  and  girl, 
made  as  they  stood  before  me,  in  the  primitive  garb 
of  innocence  and  virtue,  two  years  ago.  The  boy, 
aged  eleven  or  twelve,  had  a  face  round,  with  chin 
of  good  shape,  and  small ;  nose  rather  fiat ;  mouth 
small ;  ears  small ;  eyes  almond-shaped,  with  black 
silken  fringe  ;  the  forehead  broad  and  prominent ;  hair 
purple-black,  abundant,  cut  short  above  the  eyes  and 
flowing  behind ;  the  shoulders  straight  —  a  plumb- 
line  dropped  from  the  junction  of  cervical  and  dorsal 
vertebrae  would  touch  the  heels ;  back  hollowed  ;  ab- 
domen full ;  legs  straight ;  hips  not  large  but  power- 
ful ;  breasts  well  rounded.  The  girl  was  an  exact 
picture  of  the  boy  in  the  features  above  described ; 
the  mouth  was  daintily  cut,  with  thin  lips ;  and  grace 
and  lithesome  freedom  were  in  every  turn  and  mo- 
tion. 

It  almost  gave  pain  to  think  that  these  sprightly 
little  beauties  would  develop  into  coarse,  full-bodied 
men  and  women,  like  those  about  them.  But  it  un- 
doubtedly would  be  so  ;  and  this  little  boy,  though 
retaining  longer  the  shapely  limbs  which  would  de- 
velop  into    muscular    and   brawny   members,   would 


94 


CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 


eventually  become  as  wrinkled  and  flabby  as  the 
ugliest  man  in  the  village ;  and  the  careless  little 
maiden,  not  many  years  later,  almost  as  soon  as  her 
shape  and  limbs  were  rounded  and  perfected,  would 
begin  to  acquire  that  grossness  that  mars  maidenly 

beauty,  and,  if  mar- 
ried at  eighteen,  at 
twenty-five  or  thirty 
she  would  be  old, 
though  vigorous, 
and  resemble  those 
middle-aged  females 
about  her. 

A  writer  thus  de- 
scribes the  Domin- 
ica Caribs  in  179S  : 
"  They  are  of  clear 
copper  color,  and 
have  sleek,  black 
hair ;  their  persons 
are  stout  and  well 
made,  but  they  dis- 
figure their  faces  by 
flattening  their  fore- 
heads in  infancy. 
They  live  chiefly  by  fishing  in  the  rivers  and  the  sea, 
or  by  fowling  in  the  woods,  in  both  wliich  pursuits 
they  use  their  arrows  with  wonderful  dexterity.  It  is 
said  they  will  kill  the  smallest  bird  with  an  arrow  at 
a  great  distance,  or  transfix  a  fish  at  a  considerable 
depth  in  the  sea.  They  display  also  very  great  in- 
genuity in  making  curious-wrought  panniers,  or  bas- 
kets, of  silk-grass  or  the  leaves  and  bark  of  trees." 


^NCiENT    Caribs. 


Los  Angeles  Cal. 
INDIAN    HOME    LIFE.  95 

None  of  the  old  writers  mention  the  hospitality  of 
the  Carib,  which  at  the  present  day  is  a  virtue  he 
possesses  in  perfection.  I  recall  one  of  the  many  ex- 
cursions made  through  the  environs  of  the  hamlet  into 
the  forest  in  my  search  for  birds.  The  day  was  hot, 
but  a  cool  breeze  from  the  ocean,  which  always  blows 
from  ten  in  the  morning  till  six  in  the  evening,  tem- 
pered the  heat.  Bordering  the  forest  was  a  litde 
open  space,  in  the  center  of  which,  on  a  spur  of  the 
hills  overlooking  the  sea,  was  a  small  thatched  hut, 
inhabited  by  one  of  the  few  families  of  Caribs  who 
have  remained  uncontaminated  by  negro  blood.  As 
I  emerged  from  the  forest  I  was  met  by  a  robust  dam- 
sel with  lautrhinfj  eves,  who  brouejht  for  me  a  wooden 
bench  and  placed  it  beneath  the  grateful  shade  of  a 
mango.  Then  appeared  her  father,  who  welcomed 
me  to  his  habitation,  and  then  disappeared.  A  little 
later,  when  he  re-appeared,  he  was  driving  before 
him  a  flock  of  fowls,  and  singling  out  the  largest  and 
plumpest,  he  requested  me  to  shoot  it.  Thinking  I 
had  not  understood  him,  I  hesitated,  but,  at  a  repe- 
tition of  the  request,  fired  and  tumbled  the  fowl  in  the 
dust.  There  was  an  instant  scattering  of  the  others, 
but  the  old  man  picked  up  the  slain  one  and  marched 
off  with  it  to  his  wife.  Then  he  knocked  down  a  few 
cocoa-nuts,  and,  clipping  off  the  end  of  one,  brought 
it  to  me,  with  its  ivory  chamber  full  of  cool  and  re- 
freshing water,  apologizing  that  he  could  offer  me  no 
rum  or  gin,  which  it  is  customary  to  mix  with  it. 

In  an  hour  or  so  I  was  invited  to  the  hut,  where, 
on  a  clean  table,  was  spread  a  substantial  meal  of 
bread-fruit  and  yam,  with  the  chicken  I  had  so  re- 
cently sho.t.     This  last  was  a  luxury  the  Indian  sel- 


96  CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 

dom  treated  himself  to  ;  and  when  I  reflected  to  what 
extent  my  host  had  deprived  himself,  and  upon  the 
recent,  the  very  recent,  demise  of  the  chicken,  I  could 
scarcely  eat.  My  friends  refused  to  sit  at  table  with 
me,  but  attended  upon  my  wants,  bringing  me  fresh 
cocoanut-vvater,  and  mangos  and  guavas  for  dessert. 
To  be  sure,  there  was  neither  fork  nor  table-knife  ;  but 
one  living  in  the  woods  is  never  without  his  pocket- 
knife,  and  a  fork  can  be  quickly  whittled  from  a  palm- 
rib.  After  the  repast  I  retired  to  the  shade  of  the 
mango ;  the  father  gathered  about  him  his  materials 
for  making  baskets,  and  the  daughter  wove  for  me 
a  curious  cone  of  basket- Vv'ork,  used  by  the  children 
in  their  games,  which,  being  slipped  over  the  finger, 
cannot  be  removed  so  long  as  it  is  tightly  drawn. 

The  sun  at  noon  is  very  powerful  in  that  climate, 
and  one  quickly  feels  its  somnolent  influences.  The 
people  are  up  early,  and  work  a  little  in  the  morning, 
but  in  the  heat  of  the  day  little  is  done.  No  traveler 
passes,  unless  some  one  on  a  long  journey  ;  and  no  one 
works  except  the  basket-maker,  who  can  do  so  under 
the  broad-spreading  shade  of  a  mango  or  tamarind. 
Even  he,  as  noon  draws  nigh  and  breakfast  is  dis- 
posed of,  stretches  himself  upon  a  board  and  dozes 
for  an  hour  or  two.  Everything  is  hushed  in  uni- 
versal calm,  and  even  the  insects  and  birds  feel  the 
influence  of  the  solar  rays  and  are  silent,  drowsy, 
and  indulging  in  mid-day  siestas.  Dolce  far  Jiicnte 
is  the  life  these  people  lead ;  the  sweet-do-nothing 
more  than  is  absolutely  necessary. 

Hospitality  such  as  I  have  mentioned  is  not  ex- 
ceptional. If  an  Indian  takes  a  liking  to  you,  hence- 
forward you  are  his  compere ;  all  he  has  is  yours  — 


INDIAN    HOME    LIFE.  97 

and  what  you  possess,  also,  is  reckoned  as  his,  if  he 
want  it.  When  he  offers  to  you  his  house  and  all  in 
it,  it  is  no  idle  custom  without  meaning,  for  even 
his  household  furniture,  if  there  be  any,  is  at  your 
disposal. 

The  ancient  Caribs,  if  we  may  credit  the  statements 
of  early  writers,  believed  in  some  sort  of  a  future 
state,  and  also  that  their  departed  friends  were  secret 
witnesses  of  their  conduct.  "The  brave  had  the 
enjoyment  of  supreme  felicity  with  their  wives  and 
captives ;  the  cowardly  were  doomed  to  everlasting 
banishment  beyond  the  mountains.  This  was  their 
next  world.  They  dimly  recognized  a  Divinity,  a 
great  creator  of  all  things,  and  vaguely  offered  their 
homage  and  sacrifice." 

It  is  supposed  that  each  person  had  his  tutelar  deity  ; 
it  may  have  been  a  tree  or  a  rock.  The  northern 
tribes,  the  Arowaks,  had  their  zctnes,  or  household 
gods,  when  discovered  by  the  Spaniards.  "The 
Caribs  erected  a  rustic  altar  of  banana  leaves  and 
rushes,  whereon  they  placed  the  earliest  of  their 
fruits  and  choicest  of  their  viands,  as  peace-offerings 
to  incensed  omnipotence.  They  could  not  be  in- 
sensible to  the  existence  of  a  great  ruler,  when  the 
convulsions  of  nature  were  so  great  as  they  witnessed 
in  the  earthquake  and  hurricane." 

In  religion,  at  the  present  time,  the  Caribs  of  Do- 
minica are  Roman  Catholic,  and  are  very  observant  of 
the  rites  of  the  church.  Upon  the  occasion  of  the 
priest's  monthly  visit,  nearly  all  flock  to  hear  him, 
even  if  they  do  not  obey  his  injunctions ;  and  the  sick 
are  brought,  and  the  dying,  to  obtain  the  sacrament. 
At  the  close  of  service,  one  Sabbath,  word  was 
7 


98  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

brought  the  priest  that  Madame  Jim,  a  middle-aged 
woman,  was  dying,  with  a  request  that  he  would 
hasten  to  administer  the  last  rites  of  the  church.  But 
the  priest  was  anxious  to  be  away  ;  his  house  was  a 
dozen  miles  distant,  and  half-way  there,  at  the  house 
of  a  friend,  a  dinner  was  awaiting  him.  With  im- 
patience, then,  he  commanded  that  she  be  brought  to 
the  chapel ;  and  the  dying  woman  was  placed  in  a 
hammock  suspended  between  poles,  and  carried  to 
the  priest,  over  a  mile  of  rough,  steep  road,  patiently 
suffering,  anxious  only  to  receive  extreme  unction  be- 
fore she  passed  away. 

The  same  Sabbath  there  was  buried  at  the  foot  of 
the  cross  the  oldest  inhabitant  of  the  nation,  a  very 
old  Carib  woman,  whose  death  I  lamented,  as  I  was 
awaiting  her  recovery  to  secure  from  her  a  vocabulary 
of  Carib  words.  My  grief  was  only  alleviated  by  the 
thought  that  an  opportunity  might  occur  for  exhuming 
her  skeleton,  which  would  prove  a  valuable  acquisi- 
tion to  the  Smithsonian  Museum. 

Formerly,  the  Caribs  buried  their  dead  in  a  sitting 
posture,  in  order  (as  an  old  Indian  told  me)  that  they 
might  be  all  ready  to  jump,  when  the  Spirit  came  for 
them ;  and  facing  the  sunrise,  to  see  the  light  of 
morning.  When  the  master  of  a  house  died,  they 
buried  him  in  the  center  of  his  hut,  with  his  knees 
bent  to  his  chin.  They  then  left  the  hut  and  built 
another,  some  distance  from  it. 

Eight  days  after  the  death  of  Madame  Jim,  the 
neighbors  iiad  a  sort  of  wake,  or  "  praise  "  ;  until  mid- 
night, the  girls  sang  hymns.  After  twelve  o'clock, 
all  the  younger  people  formed  themselves  in  groups 
and  played  games  until   morning,  while  the  wicked 


INDIAN    HOME    LIFE.  99 

Meyong,  and  a  few  more  of  the  ungodly  —  who  had 
amused  themselves  by  tickling  the  ears  of  the  choris- 
ters with  straws  and  palm-leaves,  in  vain  attempt  to 
upset  their  gravity  —  improved  the  hours  so  assiduous- 
ly in  imbibing  the  new  rum  furnished  by  the  husband 
of  the  departed,  that  the  morning  light  saw  them 
thoroughly  fuddled.  The  whole  settlement  attended, 
old  men  and  women  and  children,  even  to  babes  at 
the  breast.  The  expense  to  the  bereaved  husband 
must  have  been  great ;  and  his  reflection  upon  this 
fact,  coupled  with  the  equally  saddening  one  that  the 
wife  of  his  bosom  would  never  again  labor  for  him 
in  the  garden,  or  relieve  him  of  the  burden  of 
domestic  duties,  must  have  caused  him  to  regret  her 
departure. 

Eight  months  later,  I  was  in  the  island  of  Saint 
Vincent,  in  latitude  thirteen,  north,  two  degrees  and 
a  half  south  of  Dominica.  Here  reside  (with  those  of 
the  latter  island)  the  only  remaining  Caribs  north  of 
South  America.  While  those  of  Dominica  speak  a 
perverted  French,  these  speak  an  equally  corrupt 
English.  The  former  are  Roman  Catholic  in  their 
faith ;  the  latter,  Church  of  England.  Two  weeks  I 
lived  with  these  Caribs,  in  a  little  wattled  hut  thatched 
with  leaves,  which  was  given  up  to  me  by  a  young 
colored  man  who  had  recently  married  a  Carib  wife. 

In  St.  Vincent,  the  Caribs  made  their  last  stand 
against  the  English,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  last 
century,  and  there  are  more  abundant  evidences  of 
ancient  occupation,  and  the  traditions  are  better  pre- 
served than  in  Dominica.  It  was  for  the  purpose  of 
securing  a  vocabulary  of  their  ancient  language,  to 
compare  with  one  I  had  formed  in  Dominica,  and  to 


lOO  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

ascertain  if  any  difference  existed  between  the  Indians 
of  the  two  islands,  that  I  visited^ them. 

In  Dominica  there  are  but  twenty  families  of  pure 
Caribs  ;  in  St.  Vincent  less  than  six  ;  and  but  a  few, 
of  the  older  men  and  women,  can  speak  the  original 
language.  In  a  few  years  —  another  generation  — 
the  Carib  tongue,  as  spoken  by  these  insular  people, 
will  be  a  thing  of  the  past,  of  which  there  exists  but 
an  imperfect  record,  speaking  which  there  will  be  no 
person  living. 

The  source  of  my  information  in  Dominica  was  a 
woman,  who  had,  I  have  reason  to  believe,  purer 
speech  than  my  informant  in  St.  Vincent,  who  was  a 
man.  Humboldt  observes,  quoting  Cicero :  "  The 
old  forms  of  language  are  better  preserved  by  women, 
because,  by  their  position  in  society,  they  are  less  ex- 
posed to  those  vicissitudes  of  life,  change  of  place  and 
occupation,  which  tend  to  corrupt  the  primitive  purity 
of  language  among  men." 

I  found,  however,  a  greater  difference  than  the 
mere  supposition  of  difference  of  sex,  or  the  interval 
of  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles  between  their  respective 
habitations,  would  create.  I  found,  in  fact,  that  this 
people  spoke  two  dialects,  in  confirmation  of  which 
my  vocabulary,  from  which  I  can  quote  but  briefly, 
will  testify.  For  certain  things  they  had  two  words 
entirely  different.  In  the  construction  of  sentences, 
though  there  would  be  close  analogy,  there  was  a  dif- 
ference in  the  opening  or  closing  words  that  was  at 
once  noticeable.  In  the  following,  for  instance,  where 
the  woman  expresses  a  wish  for  a  fish  for  dinner : 
^'Nod-iz^  hd-ma-gah^  o6-do'^  And  the  man  :  "U-i-di, 
kd-ma-ga,  o6-do"    Almost  invariably,  a  word  com- 


INDIAN    HOME    LIFE.  lOI 

menccd  by  the  man  with  a  D^  by  the  woman  was 
begun  with  an  A. 

Akhough  I  could  surmise  the  cause  of  this  discrep- 
ancy, which  in  some  instances  was  even  more  marked, 
I  could  not  be  satisfied  to  trust  to  my  own  inexperi- 
enced reasoning,  but  turned  to  the  greatest  authority 
upon  any  such  subject  in  his  day  —  the  immortal 
Humboldt.  Some  light  was  thus  afforded,  for  he  had 
noticed  the  same  peculiarity.  "The  contrast  between 
the  dialects  of  the  sexes  is  so  great  that  to  explain  it 
satisfactorily,  we  must  refer  to  another  cause  (than 
difference  in  sex),  and  this  may  perhaps  be  found  in 
the  barbarous  custom  practiced  by  the  Caribs,  of  kill- 
ing their  male  prisoners,  and  carrying  the  wives  of 
the  vanquished  into  captivity.  When  the  Caribs  made 
an  irruption  into  the  West  Indies,  they  arrived  there 
as  a  band  of  warriors,  not  as  colonists  accompanied 
by  their  families.  The  language  of  the  female  sex 
was  formed  by  degrees,  as  the  conquerors  contracted 
alliances  with  the  foreign  women  ;  it  was  composed 
of  new  elements,  words  distinct  from  the  Carib  words, 
which  in  the  interior  of  the  gynecaeums  were  trans- 
mitted from  generation  to  generation,  but  on  which 
the  structure,  the  combinations,  the  grammatical 
forms  of  the  language  of  the  men,  exercised  an 
influence." 

Seeking  farther,  I  found  in  an  ancient  volume,  a 
French  work  published  in  1658,  conclusive  evidence 
in  place  of  what  was  with  Humboldt  mostly  conjecture. 
It  says :  The  Caribs  have  an  original  language 
peculiar  to  them  alone,  like  any  other  nation,  which 
they  speak  among  themselves.  The  men  have  many 
peculiar  expressions  which  the  women  understand  very 


I02  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

well,  but  never  utter ;  and  the  women  have  likewise 
their  own  words  and  phrases  which  the  men  never  use 
except  in  ridicule.  The  savages  of  Dominica  relate 
that  when  they  came  to  live  in  these  islands  (the 
Lesser  Antilles)  they  found  them  in  possession  of  a 
nation  of  Arowaks,  whom  they  entirely  destroyed, 
except  the  women,  whom  they  married.  Thus,  the 
women  having  preserved  their  own  language,  taught 
it  to  their  children.  Having  been  practiced  until  the 
present  time,  this  language  remains  different  in  a  great 
many  respects  from  that  of  the  men. 

But  the  boys,  after  tliey  attain  the  age  of  five  or 
six,  although  they  well  understand  the  speech  of 
their  mothers  and  sisters,  follow  their  fathers  and 
elder  brothers  in  the  formation  of  their  language.  In 
proof  of  what  they  relate,  they  allege  that  there  is 
some  resemblance  between  the  language  of  the  female 
Caribs  and  that  of  the  Arowaks  of  the  main-land 
(South  America). 

The  Caribs  had  also  a  certain  form  of  speech 
which  they  used  among  themselves  in  their  councils 
of  war,  —  a  gibberish  very  difficult  to  understand,  of 
which  neither  the  women  nor  children  were  permitted 
to  have  any  knowledge  ;  nor  even  the  young  men,  until 
they  liad  given  some  proof  of  their  bravery,  or  of  zeal 
in  tiie  common  quarrels  of  their  country  against  their 
enemies.  It  is  owing  to  this  fact  that  their  designs 
were  never  prematurely  disclosed,  and  their  invasions 
of  an  enemy's  territory  always  so  unexpected.  They 
have  in  their  native  tongue  few  terms  of  abuse,  and 
about  the  most  offensive  is;  "you  are  no  good,"  or, 
"you  are  no  livelier  than  a  turtle."  Again,  they  have 
no  equivalent  word  for  virtue,  which  even  at  the  present 


INDIAN    HOME    LIFE.  IO3 

day  is  rare  indeed.  In  counting,  they  cannot  ex- 
press themselves  above  twenty,  and  then  only  by 
means  of  tiic  fingers  and  toes.  Among  the  Sem- 
inoles  of  Florida  I  found  a  system  of  numeration 
perfect  up  to  one  thousand.  Their  pronunciation  is 
soft  and  agreeable,  and  their  language  abounds  in 
those  figurative  expressions  which  make  the  speech  of 
our  aboriginal  tribes  so  interestin<j. 

Like  the  northern  Indians,  they  use  the  expression 
moon  for  month  :  1160-110,  moon,  and  kd-ti,  month, 
meaning  the  same.  My  wife  is  "my  heart";  a  boy 
is  a  little  man  ;  an  idiot,  a  person  without  light,  or 
unillumined  ;  the  fingers  are  the  little  ones,  or  the 
babes,  of  the  hands ;  the  rainbow  is  God's  plume.  To 
signif}'  that  a  thing  is  lost,  they  say  it  is  dead.  Their 
first  white  visitors  they  styled  "children  of  the  sea," 
because  they  came  to  them  in  ships  from  over 
the  sea. 

Though  difTerent  writers  have  sought  to  prove  by 
comparative  vocabularies  affinity  between  the  Carib 
and  the  Jew  and  the  Tartar,  it  has  not  been  con- 
clusively proven  that  this  people  descended  from 
either.  There  is,  however,  whatever  the  origin  of 
the  language,  a  striking  significance  in  their  desig- 
nating appellation  —  Carib,  or  Cannibal,  which  are 
epithets  referring  to  valor  and  strength. 

We  have  seen  that  they  received  this  name  from 
Columbus,  or  his  associates,  who  had  heard  it  as 
applied  to  them  by  the  inhabitants  of  Hispaniola,  the 
year  previous  to  the  discovery  of  the  Caribbees. 
Humboldt  relates  that  the  Caribs  of  South  America 
called  themselves  Carina,  Calina,  Callinago,  Caribi ; 
and  that  the  name  Carib  is  derived  from  Calina  and 


I04  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

Carifoona.  The  word  Carifoona  was  given  me, 
both  by  the  St.  Vincent  and  Dominica  Caribs,  as  the 
ancient  name  of  the  tribe ;  so  there  can  be  no  doubt 
of  the  origin  of  the  latter  term. 

In  this  connection,  the  author  of  "  Myths  of  the 
New  World "  has  propounded  a  curious  and  by  no 
means  improbable  theory  :  "  The  mythical  ancestor 
of  the  Caribs  created  his  offspring  by  sowing  the  soil 
with  stones,  or  with  the  fruit  of  the  Mauritius  palm, 
which  sprouted  forth  into  men  and  women  ;  while  the 
Yurucares,  much  of  whose  mythology  was  perhaps 
borrowed  from  the  Peruvians,  clothed  this  crude  tenet 
in  a  somewhat  more  poetic  form,  fabling  that  at  the 
beginning  the  first  men  were  pegged,  Ariel-like,  in 
the  knotty  entrails  of  an  enormous  bole,  until  the  god 
Tiri — a  second  Prosper©  —  released  them  by  cleaving 

it  in  twain It  is  still  a  mooted  point  whence 

Shakespeare  drew  the  plot  of  'The  Tempest.'  The 
coincidence  mentioned  in  the  text  between  some  parts 
of  it  and  South  American  mythology  does  not  stand 
alone.  Caliban,  the  savage  and  brutish  native  of  the 
island,  is  undoubtedly  the  word  Carib,  often  spelled 
Caribana  and  Calibani  in  older  writers,  and  his 
*  dam's  god,  Setebos,'  was  the  supreme  divinity  of  the 
Patagonians  when  first  visited  by  Magellan." 

As  another  curious  fact,  which  inseparably  links 
the  Carib  with  our  best  fiction,  as  well  as  with  our 
early  history,  let  me  mention  that  Robinson  Crusoe's 
**  Man  Friday  "  was  a  Carib ;  and  the  island  of  their 
adventures  is  not  in  the  Pacific  Ocean,  but  lies  amoncr 
the  historic  isles  of  the  Caribbean  Sea.  It  is,  in  fact, 
the  island  of  Tobago,  which  I  visited,  and  in  which  I 
had  many  and  varied  adventures. 


INDIAN    HOME    LIFE.  IO5 

From  the  same  old  Carib  who  aided  in  enriching 
my  vocabulary  I  obtained  many  quaint  tales  and  tra- 
ditions, which,  in  another  chapter,  are  related  to  show 
that  the  Caribs,  though  wanderers,  robbers,  and  can- 
nibals, were  not  without  their  fireside  stories  and  super- 
stitions. Like  the  African,  like  the  North  American 
Indian,  the  Carib  is  very  superstitious;  the  woods, 
shore,  rocks,  and  trees  are  peopled  with  jiunbies,  or 
evil  spirits,  who  can,  if  they  please,  work  them  harm  ; 
the  spirits  of  men  and  women  who  once  lived  among 
them,  and  who,  they  firmly  believe,  still  inhabit  this 
earth.  Anything  of  odd  shape  or  mysterious  aspect 
is  believed  to  be  possessed  of  a  jumbie.  The  owl, 
from  its  nocturnal  habits  and  soft  flight,  its  large, 
staring  e3^es  and  boding  cry,  is  the  chosen  bird  for 
the  terrestrial  abode  of  the  spirits,  and  bears  the  appel- 
lation of  "jumbie-bird  "  in  every  island.  But  a  jumbie 
may  appear  in  the  shape  of  anything  animate  or  in- 
animate, and  it  may  happen  that  now  and  then  an 
animal  is  w^-ongly  accused  of  being  possessed  of  a 
jumbie. 

To  the  ethnologist,  the  Caribs  of  St.  Vincent  pre- 
sent an  attractive  subject  for  study,  for  there  is  among 
them  a  people  formed  by  the  union  of  two  distinct 
races,  the  American  and  the  Ethiopian.  They  are 
called  "Black  Caribs,"  to  distinguish  them  from  the 
typical  or  "Yellow  Caribs."  Various  reasons  are  as- 
signed for  the  cause  of  this  mixture.  One  tradition  is 
to  the  efiect  that  the  Caribs  attacked  and  burned  a 
Spanish  ship,  in  the  sixteenth  century,  and  took  its 
freight  of  slaves  to  live  among  them  ;  another  version, 
that  a  slaver  was  wrecked  near  St.  Vincent,  and  the 
Africans,  escaping,  joined  the  Caribs.     The  Yellow 


106  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

Caribs  received  them  as  friends,  but  eventually  the 
negroes  possessed  themselves  of  the  best  lands  and 
drove  their  benefactors  to  the  most  worthless.  Having 
intermarried  with  the  Yellow  Caribs,  they  departed 
from  the  negro  type  in  a  few  years,  but  sufficiently 
resembled  the  slaves,  beginning  to  be  introduced  into 
the  island  by  the  French  in  1720,  as  to  cause  them 
alarm,  and  they  took  to  the  woods  and  mountains, 
living  there  for  quite  another  generation.  They  also 
adopted  the  Carib  practice  of  flattening  the  foreheads 
of  their  children,  so  that  succeeding  generations  dif- 
fered generally  from  their  fathers.  They  now  form  a 
small  community  on  the  northwestern  shore  of  St. 
Vincent,  at  a  place  called  Morne  Ronde. 

Throughout  the  island  of  St.  Vincent  I  found  traces 
of  occupation  by  the  ancient  Caribs.  These  were  in 
the  shape  of  implements  of  war  and  utensils  for  do- 
mestic use,  of  the  rudest  description  :  hatchets,  axes, 
battle-axes,  gouges,  chisels,  and  spear-heads,  of  stone, 
generally  classed  under  the  head  of  "celts."  The 
negroes,  ever  superstitious,  attribute  to  these  stones, 
which  they  occasionally  find  in  the  fields,  a  celestial 
origin,  declaring  they  are  "thunderbolts,"  and  that 
they  come  down  from  the  sky  during  th'understorms. 
This  they  prove  to  their  entire  satisfaction,  by  citing 
the  fact  that  they  are  always  more  abundant  after  a 
rain.  This  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  rain  washes 
away  the  earth  from  these  ancient  stones  which  have 
lain  so  long  buried. 

The  Caribs  did  not  possess  that  advancement  in 
civilized  art  that  enabled  them  to  produce  such  sculp- 
tured works  of  intricate  and  beautiful  design,  both  in 
stone  and  wood,  as  the  Spaniards  found  among  the 


INDIAN    HOME    LIFE. 


107 


The    Sacrificial    Stoni 


inhabitants  of  Cuba  and  Haiti  at  the  time  of  their  dis- 
covery. They  confined  their  efforts  to  the  production 
of  axes  for  liollowing  out  their  canoes,  and  the  manu- 
facture of  implements  of  war.  They  made  pottery, 
but  I  doubt  if  the  cotton  found  in  their  huts  by  Colum- 
bus was  of  their  own  weaving.  It  is  more  probable 
that  it  was  taken  from  the  Arowaks  of  the  greater 
islands. 

In  the  forests  there  are  yet  more  striking  evi- 
dences of  aboriginal  occupation,  which  would  tell  us 
that  there  once  existed  here  a  people  different  from 
those  of  the  present  day,  were  there  no  written  or  tra- 
ditional chronicles  of  their  existence.  In  a  valley  of 
the  Caribbean  side  of  St.  Vincent  is  a  lariie  rock  cov- 


I08  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

ered  with  incised  figures,  which  are  undoubtedly  of 
great  antiquity,  and  the  lines  or  grooves  are  so  nearly 
obliterated  that  I  will  not  hazard  a  guess  as  to  their 
meaning.  The  central  figure,  however,  a  face  en- 
closed in  a  triangle,  seems  to  resemble  rude  aboriginal 
representations  of  the  sun.  It  is  conjectured  that  this 
vvras  a  sacrificial  stone  used  by  the  Caribs,  or  their 
predecessors,  the  Arovvaks ;  and  this  statement  would 
seem  to  be  confirmed  by  the  various  channels  leading 
from  the  attendant  satellites  to  the  central  figure.  The 
rock  at  present  lies  with  its  face  slanting  to  the  south- 
west, owing  to  the  excavation  of  the  earth  beneath  it 
by  a  small  stream  that  runs  near.  A  few  miles  below 
is  another  and  smaller  rock,  having  carved  upon  it 
a  face  surrounded  by  scroll-work.  In  the  island  of 
Guadeloupe  is  a  large  rock  having  upon  it  a  figure 
of  more  intricate  design  ;  and  it  is  said  that  there  are 
sculptured  rocks  in  the  island  of  St.  John,  one  of  the 
Virgin  Islands.  Owing  to  the  rugged  conformation 
of  the  islands  chosen  as  their  home,  it  is  not  possible 
to  discover  such  evidences  of  their  handiwork  as  in 
islands  of  more  level  surface. 

As  the  only  remaining  Indians  between  the  con- 
tinent of  South  America  and  North  America,  be- 
tween Guiana  and  Florida,  these  Caribs  possess  an 
interest  attaching  to  no  other  tribe  living.  Having 
visited  the  southernmost  resident  Indians  in  the  United 
States,  the  Seminoles,  offshoots  from  the  Creeks,  I 
was  enabled  to  note  more  intelligently  the  differences 
between  the  two  tribes ;  and,  aside  from  these  and 
other  reasons,  I  do  not  think  the  Caribs  ever  reached 
the  continent  of  North  America.  This  statement  may 
be  met  with  the  counter  one  that  the  Seminoles,  at 


INDIAN    HOME    LIFE.  IO9 

the  time  of  Carib  supremacy  in  the  Lesser  Antilles, 
were  residents  of  the  country  north  of  Florida,  and 
tliat  a  different  tribe,  the  Yemassees,  inhabited  the 
peninsula. 

Very  naturally  arises  the  question,  whence  came 
this  people  ?  This  must  remain  unanswered  until 
our  savants  have  determined  the  origin  of  the  entire 
race  of  which  these  Indians  are  but  a  fragmentary 
portion.  They  may  trace  them  to  Jew  or  Tartar,  to 
Malay  or  Phcenician,  for  their  remote  origin ;  but 
to  the  ethnologist  who  believes  in  an  original  Amer- 
ican civilization,  that  there  was  for  ages  an  emigra- 
tion from  South  America  northward,  a  little  light  may 
be  afforded  by  tracing  the  confines  of  the  Carib. 

Considering  the  Esquimaux  and  the  North  Amer- 
ican Indians  to  be  an  "  immigrant  element "  from  Asia, 
we  must  look  to  the  South  for  the  origin  of  those  other 
tribes  more  advanced  than  they  in  civilization.  The 
Mound-builders  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  valleys, 
and  the  Cliff-dwellers  of  Colorado  and  Arizona,  may 
be  traced  to  Mexico  as  the  country  from  which  they 
sprung.  The  Aztecs,  in  the  height  of  their  power 
when  discovered  by  the  Spaniards,  pointed  to  South 
America  as  the  land  from  which  they  had  invaded 
Mexico.  Those  learned  men  are  not  few  who  trace 
a  connection  from  these  peoples  to  that  wonderful 
race  that  built  the  aqueducts  of  Peru  and  the  roads 
of  the  Incas  ;  and  who  maintain  further  that  Amer- 
ican civilization  had  its  beginning  in  the  elevated  val- 
leys of  Peru. 

These  Caribs  have  no  affinity  with  the  people  who 
built  such  wonderful  cities  and  wrought  such  works 
of  art  as  now  lie  scattered  throughout  the  vast  for- 


no  CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 

ests  of  Honduras  and  Central  America  ;  but  that  they 
originated  in  the  same  continent  of  South  America, 
there  seems  to  be  abundant  evidence  to  prove.  We 
can  trace  them  from  South  America  northward,  kill- 
ing and  devouring  as  they  went.  In  the  time  of 
Columbus  the  people  of  Porto  Rico  were  beginning  to 
feel  alarm  from  their  incursions ;  and  the  Spaniard 
may  be  consoled  by  the  thought  that  if  he  had  not 
murdered  his  millions,  the  Caribs  would  have  event- 
ually depopulated  these  peaceful  isles.  We  have  seen 
that  they  had  gained  possession  of  all  the  Lesser  An- 
tilles, coming  up  from  the  south,  and  probably  were 
the  same  who  possessed  Jamaica  from  the  west,  coast- 
ing the  shore  northward  from  Darien  and  crossing  the 
intervening  sea.  According  to  the  Spanish  writers 
of  the  sixteenth  century,  the  Carib  nation  then  ex- 
tended over  eighteen  or  nineteen  degrees  of  latitude, 
from  the  Virgin  Islands,  east  of  Porto  Rico,  to  the 
mouths  of  the  Amazon.  It  seems,  then,  but  a  ques- 
tion of  time  when  they  would  have  possessed  every 
island  in  the  Caribbean  Sea. 

It  is  not  my  purpose  to  attempt  to  trace  ancient 
American  civilization,  but  merely  to  describe  the 
northern  limits  of  a  people  contemporary  with  the 
more  civilized  Indians.  Their  warlike  character  and 
unyielding  nature  is  fully  shown  in  their  resistance  to 
the  yoke  of  slavery  the  Spaniards  sought  to  put  upon 
them,  when  they  perished  fighting  rather  than  yield 
to  the  oppressors. 

How  changed  are  the  Caribs  of  the  present  day  I 
They  have  intermarried  with  the  negroes  to  such  an 
extent  that  their  individuality  is  nearly  lost.  Their 
free  mode  of  life,  their  long  journeys  by  sea,  their 


INDIAN    HOME    LIFE.  Ill 

language  even,  are  all  things  of  the  past.  This  rem- 
nant of  a  race,  living  so  quietly  in  these  islands, 
hemmed  in  between  forest  and  ocean,  peacefully  cul- 
tivating their  gardens  and  weaving  baskets,  quietly 
breathing  away  existence,  are  slowly  but  surely  pass- 
ing on  into  the  great  gulf  of  forgetfulness.  Already 
have  they  forgotten  the  deeds  of  their  fathers,  the 
dread  prowess  of  their  ancestors.  The  bow,  the 
hatchet,  the  war-club,  mighty  weapons  in  willing 
hands,  are  lost.  In  all  their  settlements  one  cannot 
find  a  bow.  Here,  then,  are  people  who  have  lost 
language,  prestige,  tradition,  ambition ;  and  it  is  a 
matter  of  comparatively  little  time  ere  they  will  have 
ceased  to  exist,  and  the  forests  and  rivers,  the  cool, 
fern-shaded  baths  and  tropic  streams,  no  longer  know 
their  presence. 


112  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 


•  CHAPTER    VIII. 

HOW  I  CAPTURED  THE  IMPERIAL  PARROT. 

MEYONG.  —  MY  HUT.  —  A  MIXED-UP  LANGUAGE.  —  DEPARTURE 
FOR  THE  FOREST. —  PANNIER  AND  CUTLASS. — WOOD-PIGEONS. — 
THE  STARTLED  SAVAGES.  —  THE  BATH.  —  A  GLOOMY  GORGE. — 
"PALMISTE  MONTAGNE."  —  IN  THE  HAUNTS  OF  THE  PARROT. — 
IMMENSE  TREES.  —  PARASITES  AND  LIANES.  —  WOOD  FOR  CA- 
NOES AND  GUM  FOR  INCENSE.  —  THE  "  BOIS  DIABLE."  —  CON- 
STRUCTING THE  CAMP.  —  PALM-SPATHES. — A  BONNE  BOUCHE, 
THE  BEETLE  GRUB.  —  NOCTURNAL  NOISES.  —  COMICAL  FROGS. — 
A  BLACKSMITH   IN  A  TREE. — THE  FIRST  SHOT.  —  THE  HUMMING- 

-  bird's  NEST.  —  THE  PARROT.  —  AN  EXCITED  GUIDE.  —  AN  ACCI- 
DENT.—  WILD   HOGS. — THE    "LITTLE  DEVIL." 

"It  was  a  land  of  rills 
And  birds,  and  giant  hills 
Rose  westward  ;  eastward  thundered  the  broad  main." 

WALLS  of  reeds  and  roof  of  flags,  a  small  hole 
looking  eastward  for  a  window,  a  larger  one 
for  a  door.  Leaning  against  the  door-post  is  a  Carib 
youth  of  eighteen,  a  gun  resting  in  the  hollow  of  his 
arm,  a  coarse  cotton  shirt  and  trowsers  his  habili- 
ments. Upright,  in  a  hammock  swung  from  two  cor- 
ners of  the  hut,  sits  a  sleepy  American,  thrusting  his 
fingers  through  his  long  hair ;  he  is  the  only  white 
man  in  that  region.  Reader,  consider  yourself  intro- 
duced to  my  Indian  guide,  to  my  hut,  and  to  myself. 
Meyong,  my  faithful  servant  and  henchman,  was 
christened  Simeon  in  the  little  chapel  over  the  hill ; 


THE  HAUNTS  OF  THE  PARROT.        II3 

but  that  was  a  name  too  long  and  savoring  too  much 
of  English  for  these  idle  aborigines,  and  he  was  at 
once  and  forever  rechristened. 

"  Meyong ! " 

^^Oui,  monsieur.''^ 

You  must  pardon  Meyong  for  frequent  lapses  into 
French,  and  for  saying,  ^^Oui,  monsieur,"  instead  of 
"  Yes,  sir."  The  fact  is,  he  has  no  language  he  can 
call  his  own.  Though  born  a  Carib,  he  never  heard 
the  Carib  tongue,  save  from  some  very  old  woman  or 
warriors.  He  was  born  under  English  rule,  but  never 
learned  the  English  language.  His  parents  spoke  a 
degenerate  French,  but  never  owed  allegiance  to  the 
French  government.  Meyong,  then,  speaks  a  patois, 
or  dialect  of  his  own,  derived  from  the  French,  who 
once  owned  this  island.  His  speech  is  abominable 
alike  to  cultivated  Frenchman  and  Englishman. 

"Are  you  ready,  Meyong?" 

^^Om,  monsieur ." 

"  And  Coryet  ? "  Coryet  is  his  inseparable  com- 
panion, with  whom  he  roves  sea  and  forest. 

"Coryet  come  long  time,  m'sieur;  he  come  ebry- 
ting." 

"Very  well ;  then  bring  me  my  coffee." 

While  he  was  preparing  my  coffee  I  drew  on  my 
boots  and  hastened  to  the  river  to  bathe.  Darkness 
still  covered  everything,  but  the  low,  uneasy  twitter- 
ing of  birds  gave  token  of  the  near  approach  of  dawn. 
Crickets  and  locusts  and  all  the  nocturnal  insects  had 
hushed  their  chirpings,  and  all  the  valley  was  wrapped 
in  the  silence  that  preceded  the  break  of  day. 

Each  of  my  young  hunters  had  a  large  pannier 
strapped  to  his  shoulders,  like  a  knapsack  made  of 
8 


114  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

basket-work,  filled  with  the  essentials  for  our  jour- 
ney. In  them  they  had  stored  yams,  tanniers,  and 
'*farine"  of  cassada,  two  bottles  of  native  rum,  my 
blanket  and  rubber  poncho.  One  of  them  also  carried 
a  very  heavy  iron  kettle,  and  the  other  a  large  cala- 
bash. Why  Coryet  chose  thus  to  burden  himself  with 
the  heavy  ketde  was  explained  by  Meyong,  who  said 
that  the  kettle  was  the  only  article  of  kitchen  use 
owned  by  his  friend,  and  that  he  wished  to  display  it 
as  much  as  possible  in  going  through  the  Indian  gar- 
dens. When  we  reached  the  forests  he  would  bury 
it  and  exhume  it  for  exhibition  on  our  return.  Nearly 
everybody  has  some  pet  foible.  Some  display  it  in 
neck-ties,  others  in  gloves ;  but  Coryet's  took  the 
shape  of  a  pot  of  iron,  black  and  battered. 

I  forgot  to  add  that  each  boy  carried  a  great  7na- 
chcte,  or  cutlass,  two  feet  and  a  half  in  length  and 
two  inches  broad.  I  had  grown  so  accustomed  to 
seeing  them  with  this  weapon  that  I  almost  consid- 
ered it  a  part  of  themselves.  Meyong  also  carried 
his  gun. 

There  were  but  three  things  he  cared  for  in  this 
world  more  than  rum  and  sleep — his  cutlass,  his  gun, 
and  his  friend  Coryet.  Night  and  day  they  were 
together.  He  did,  I  think,  entertain  a  high  regard, 
approaching  to  love,  for  me,  and  he  certainly  feared 
the  priest ;  but  the  consideration  of  other  things  never 
disturbed  his  soul. 

We  climbed  the  hill,  and  had  reached  the  ridge 
fqrming  the  semicircle  that  hemmed  in  our  valley  be- 
fore the  sun  appeared.  He  came  up  from  the  ocean 
with  a  bounce  and  darted  at  us  hot  beams ;  but  we 
were  then  walking  beneath  tall  trees,  where  he  could 


THE  HAUNTS  OF  THE  PARROT.        H5 

not  enter,  and  we  laughed  at  him.  The  trail  we  were 
following  was  one  thread  of  a  net-work  of  secret  paths 
known  only  to  the  Indians,  that  had  extent  all  over 
the  island,  traversing  the  forests  only,  from  shore  to 
shore.  Our  path  was  crossed  by  other  trails,  but  my 
boys  infallibly  selected  the  right  one,  and  we  marched 
on  swiftly. 

We  were  skirting  the  innermost  of  the  Indian  gar- 
dens, but  soon  left  them  and  plunged  into  the  woods, 
where  the  trail  followed  mainly  the  crest  of  a  tortuous 
ridge.  J^amiers,  or  wood-pigeons,  were  cooing  all 
around  us,  and  Coryet  and  I  went  for  one.  He  saw 
it  first,  and  tumbled  it  from  its  high  perch  among  the 
leaves  to  the  ground.  After  an  hour  on  the  ridge  we 
began  to  descend.  The  hill  was  very  steep,  and  I 
had  to  cling  to  roots  and  rocks  in  going  down.  Soon 
we  passed  through  a  garden  owned  by  Indian  Jim, 
whose  wife  we  saw  "toted"  in  a  hammock,  the  week 
before,  dying,  to  the  village  to  receive  extreme  unction 
from  the  priest  on  his  visit.  Poor  woman  !  her  last 
task  is  finished  on  this  earth,  and  never  again  will 
she  look  upon  this  solitary  spot  so  often  the  scene 
of  her  daily  toil.  It  was  a  dell  most  secluded  and 
wild,  and  ground,  rocks,  and  trees  were  covered  with 
ferns. 

As  we  waded  along  knee-deep  in  ferns,  a  couple  of 
■perdrix,  or  mountain  doves,  got  up ;  one  alighted 
in  the  loop  of  a  swinging  liane  some  forty  yards  away, 
and  I  dropped  him  into  the  ferns,  stone-dead.  Me- 
yong  saw  an  agouti,  but  too  quickly  he  penetrated  the 
forest  of  ferns  for  us  to  catch  him.  Suddenly  I  heard 
the  music  of  falling  water  —  the  most  liquid  melody 
in  the  world  —  and  opportunely,  too,    for   we   were 


Il6  CAMPS    IN   THE   CARIBBEpS. 

tired  and  thirsty.  Rapidly  we  descended,  as  fast  as 
loosened  rocks  and  earth  furrowed  by  the  rains  would 
allow  us,  to  a  shady  valley,  where  a  foaming  brook 
came  down  to  join  the  large  river  that  entered  the  sea 
two  miles  below.  But  another  sound  greeted  our 
ears,  other  than  that  of  water  laughing  over  mossy 
stones ;  it  was  the  rumbling  of  loosened  rocks  and 
rolling  of  stones  caused  by  the  hand  of  man.  We 
stopped  to  listen,  and  then  Meyong  went  on  ahead. 
He  beckoned  and  I  followed,  to  see,  as  I  peered  over 
the  bank,  a  naked  Indian  running  about  in  and  out 
of  the  brook  ;  a  magnificent  man,  with  brawny  shoul- 
ders and  long  black  hair.  Just  ahead  of  him  was  a 
woman,  his  squaw,  clad  in  a  ragged  skirt.  Both 
were  intently  searching  beneath  the  stones  for  some 
object,  the  man  overturning  large  rocks  in  his  way. 

What  was  this  thing  they  seemed  so  eager  to  find? 
It  was  not  gold,  for  they  do  not  know  it  in  its  virgin 
state.  It  was  something  more  valuable  to  them,  for 
present  needs,  a  shell-fish  for  their  breakfast  and 
supper.  The  crayfish,  the  fresh-water  lobster,  makes 
its  home  beneath  the  rocks  of  the  mountain  streams. 
Being  so  excellent,  it  is  much  sought  by  these  people, 
who  have  no  guns,  no  bows  nor  arrows,  and  few  dogs 
with  which  to  hunt.  It  is  their  chief  reliance  when  the 
seas  are  heavy  and  they  cannot  go  out  in  their  canoes 
to  fish. 

Pressing  too  near  the  bank,  I  dislodged  a  pebble 
which  fell  with  a  splash  into  the  stream.  Hardly  had 
it  touched  the  water,  when,  with  a  wild  cry  of  alarm, 
the  startled  Indians  darted  into  the  forest ;  we  could 
hear  them  as  they  ran  in  their  fear,  for  some  minutes. 
At  the  river  we  stopped  to  lunch  and  drink  its  pure 


THE  HAUNTS  OF  THE  PARROT. 


117 


water.  Crossing  the  stream  we  entered  an  abandoned 
provision  ground,  where  we  disturbed  two  girls  and  a 
boy  gathering  yams  and  tanniers.  They  shrieked  and 
fled,  without  staying  to  answer  our  bon  joiir.  We 
then  marched  up  the  gravelly  bed  of  a  brook  near  the 
river  bank,  our  path  overhung  by  wild  oranges  and 


The    I^ui 


f^ 


coffee  trees,  until  we  came  abruptly  upon  a  perpen- 
dicular wall  of  rock  directly  across  our  path.  It  was 
black  and  frowning,  dotted  with  lovely  ferns  and  long 
drooping  leaves  of  the  wild  plantain.  Swerving 
aside,  we  found  that  we  must  cross  the  river,  and  that 
the  channel  was  too  deep  to  wade,  and  we  must 
swim  it. 


Il8  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

There  are  two  things  forbidden  by  the  laws  of 
health  in  the  tropics :  eating  fruit  when  the  body  is 
hot,  and  bathing  when  in  the  same  condition.  But 
Meyong  said  it  would  not  hurt  us  if  we  would  remove 
our  clothes  and  sit  in  the  sun  a  while  to  dry  the  per- 
spiration ;  which  we  did,  and  then  plunged  in.  It  was 
icy  cold,  and  the  current  was  so  swift  we  could  hardly 
stem  it,  for  the  river  flowed  between  huge  walls  of 
rock  —  a  narrow  gorge.  Into  the  deep  black  chasm 
we  at  last  ventured,  where  the  sun  could  not  reach  us, 
and  essayed  a  peep  into  the  cavernous  depths  beneath 
the  cliffs.  Suspended  from  a  swinging  rope,  a  liane, 
we  hung  upon  the  surface  of  as  black  and  dismal  a 
pool  as  I  ever  saw'.  The  water  fell  from  a  great 
height  into  the  farthest  recesses  of  the  chasm  and 
created  a  sort  of  whirlpool  where  we  dared  not  ven- 
ture, and  then  it  flowed  out  through  a  narrow  open- 
ing into  the  daylight  and  sunlight,  falling  over  a  broad 
ledge  one  sheet  of  foam. 

The  lianes  gave  a  strange  effect,  hanging  from  the 
heights  to  the  water  like  loosened  ropes  ;  but  the  most 
beautiful  and  strangely-attractive  forms  were  those  of 
the  tree-ferns,  which  sprang  but  of  the  crevices  in 
the  rocks,  and  spread  their  broad,*  lace-like  leaves 
above  us. 

Refreshed  by  the  bath,  and  by  the  contemplation 
of  this  grand  work  of  nature,  we  dressed  and  prepared 
to  scale  the  cliffs  on  the  other  side.  A  little  stream 
fell  musically  over  the  rock,  where  it  had  worn  a 
channel  for  itself  in  the  solid  stone,  and  up  this  brook- 
let, assisted  by  tree-ferns  and  lianes,  we  climbed  and 
climbed.  It  was  now  mid-day  and  the  sun  gave  us  a 
warm  reminder   of  his   strength,   so  that  we   gladly 


THE  HAUNTS  OF  THE  PARROT.         II9 

hailed  the  first  sight  of  a  mountain  palm.  As  it  is 
never  found  at  less  than  two  thousand  feet  above  the 
sea,  its  presence  assured  us  of  cool  breezes  ;  and  not 
only  of  cool  breezes  but  of  possible  approach  to  the 
region  of  the  parrots. 

The  great  Imperial  Parrot,  the  "  Cicero "  of  the 
Indians,  the  Chrysotis  augusta  of  ornithologists, 
delights  to  feed  upon  the  seeds  of  this  tree.  We  did 
not,  however,  hear  any  cry  or  noise  betokening  their 
presence,  for  at  noon  in  the  tropics  all  animal  life  is 
silent. 

We  went  up  and  on  for  several  hours  into  a  region 
of  palms  and  "  gommier  trees,"  and  at  last  halted  be- 
neath towering  trees,  on  a  carpet  of  green,  where  we 
threw  ourselves  upon  the  ground.  My  boys  were 
soon  refreshed  and  sprang  up  again  to  seek  water, 
far  down  the  hill. 

While  they  were  gone  I  lay  upon  my  back,  study- 
ing the  forms  of  the  various  trees  above  me.  They 
formed  a  perfect  canopy  of  green  which  the  sun  could 
not  pierce.  Exceeding  all  others  in  height,  as  well 
as  in  usefulness,  is  the  tree  known  to  the  natives  as 
the  "gommier,"  or  gum-tree  (^Bursera  gummifcra). 
Some  of  the  trunks  are  eight  feet  in  diameter,  throw 
out  huge  buttresses  on  all  sides,  like  the  wall-supports 
of  a  Gothic  church,  and  rise  into  the  air  one  hundred 
feet.  The  seeds  of  this  tree  are  favorite  food  of 
the  parrots  and  wood-pigeons.  Its  branches  and 
trunk  are  completely  hidden  in  a  wealth  of  parasitic 
growth  and  lianes.  This  is  the  tree  used  by  the 
Caribs,  even  at  the  present  day,  for  their  canoes. 
From  a  single  trunk  they  hollow  out,  by  means  of 
fire   and   axe,  a   canoe   in  the  rough.     This   is  most 


I20  CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 

often  done  far  in  the  mountains,  and  the  hollowed 
log  must  be  dragged,  with  great  labor,  to  the  shore. 
There  it  is  placed  in  the  shade  and  filled  with  water, 
to  open  it ;  a  strip  is  nailed  along  the  top  for  a  gun- 
wale, knees  put  in  to  strengthen  it ;  it  is  finished 
smoothly  with  the  axe,  and  then  makes  a  strong, 
buoyant  boat,  which  floats  lightly  on  the  water,  and 
rides  gracefully  heavy  seas.  In  such  a  boat  the  an- 
cient Caribs  made  war  excursions  of  more  than  three 
hundred  miles.  From  the  bark  of  this  valuable  tree 
exudes  a  gum  that  burns  freely  and  with  such  grateful 
odor  that  it  is  used  in  the  Romish  churches  as  incense. 
This  gum  is  wrapped  in  bark  in  an  ingenious  manner 
by  the  Indians,  and  made  into  torches,  ox  jlambcaux^ 
three  feet  long,  which  are  used  by  hunters  and  fisher- 
men at  night.  Hence  the  tree  is  also  known  as  the 
"  flambeau  tree." 

Another  very  useful  tree  is  the  "  bois  dc  bo7ile,'"  the 
young  saplings  of  which  are  used  in  making  the 
ajoupa,  or  hut.  It  is  tall,  of  lesser  height  than  the 
gommier,  with  fine  ovate  leaves.  Upon  the  seeds  of 
this  tree,  also,  the  parrots  feed,  and  its  abundance  here 
induced  my  boys  to  select  this  site  for  our  forest  camp. 
But  the  most  interesting  thing  about  it  is  tlie  property 
of  the  bark,  which,  when  steeped  in  tea  or  in  rum,  has 
a  warming  efl'ect  upon  the  human  system,  and  has 
probably  some  medicinal  qualities.  Winding  among 
the  branches  of  this  tree  are  those  of  another  called 
"  bois  diablc,"'  or  devil's  wood ;  it  is  much  used  in 
making  charcoal  and  flambeaux. 

They  returned  from  the  spring  after  a  long  absence, 
with  the  calabash  and  a  section  of  bamboo  full  of 
water.     Meyong  started  a  fire  with  a  flake  of  gom- 


THE    HAUNTS    OF    THE    PARROT. 


121 


mier  gum,  and  then  departed  for  covering  for  the 
house,  which  he  and  his  companion  were  now  to 
erect.  It  was  very  near  dark,  and  I  did  not  think 
they  could  put  a  roof  over  our  heads  before  sunset ; 
but  when  I  mentioned  this  doubt  they  smiled  and  told 
me  to  rest  quietly.  Coryet  then  cut  about  a  dozen 
saplings  and  drew 
them  up  to  the  6re. 
Across  two  crotched 
uprights,  some  eight 
feet  high,  he  placed 
a  pole  about  twelve 
feet  in  length  for  the 
ridge-pole  of  the 
house.  From  this 
front  pole  he  extend- 
ed three  other  stout 
limbs  to  the  ground, 
and  across  these  again 
at  right  angles  he 
lashed  ten  others 
about  a  foot  and  a  hall  apait.  ^ 
Thus  he  had  the  frame-woik 
of  a  roof  in  less  tiian  half  an  hour,  and 
every  pole  w^as  lashed  securely  without  a  single  rope, 
and  fastened  firmly  without  a  nail. 

It  was  interesting  to  watch  him  at  this  work.  When 
he  had  placed  the  poles  in  position  he  left  them  and 
went  to  a  tree  near  at  hand,  and  drew  down  from  its 
branches,  sixty  feet  from  the  ground,  several  hundred 
feet  of  lialines  and  lianes,  the  latter  large  as  grape- 
vines, the  former  small  as  fish-lines,  and  so  lithe  and 
tough  that  a  hard  knot  could  be  tied  in  one  without 


122  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

its  breaking.  With  these  he  fastened  the  framework 
together. 

By  this  time  Meyong  had  returned  with  a  back- 
load  of  strips  of  thin  white  bark.  They  were  about 
six  feet  in  length,  and  looked  like  great  flakes 
of  slipper3'-elm  bark.  Upon  examination  I  found 
that  they  were  the  sheaths  or  layers  from  around 
the  terminal  bud  of  the  mountain  palm.  This  bud, 
which  is  much  sought  as  a  delicacy,  and  cooked 
like  cabbage,  forms  the  apex  of  the  stem  of  the 
palm  ;  and  this  rare  vegetable,  forming  only  enough 
for  a  meal  for  a  small  party,  is  only  obtained  by 
cutting  down  one  of  the  stateliest  trees  in  the 
world.  It  was  from  a  fallen  palm  that  Meyong  had 
stripped  these  layers,  which  he  now  threw  upon  the 
ground. 

With  his  cutlass  he  shaved  away  the  middle  of 
each,  thus  making  the  central  portion  so  thin  that 
it  could  be  spread  out  flat.  Each  piece  was  then 
about  four  feet  broad  and  six  to  seven  long ;  and  two 
breadths  of  four  pieces  each  completely  covered  the 
skeleton  shape  of  the  roof  and  made  a  water-tight 
covering.  The  lower  course  was  laid  first,  with  the 
upper  overlapping  it,  like  two  rows  of  shingles. 
Across  each  course  was  laid  a  pole,  fastened  at  either 
end  to  the  poles  projecting  on  each  side  underneath. 
In  less  than  an  hour  we  had  a  good  roof  over  us,  im- 
pervious to  water.  A  few  palm  leaves  were  fastened 
at  the  sides,  and  a  huge  back-load  of  small  and 
springy  leaves  thrown  on  the  ground  for  a  bed.  Over 
these  I  threw  my  poncho  of  rubber  silk  and  a  warm 
gray  blanket  to  protect  me  from  the  night  air.  Thus 
we  had  house,  and  food  at  hand,  all  obtained  from 


THE  HAUNTS  OF  THE  PARROT.        123 

material  on  the  spot,  with  no  foreign  aid  save  a  single 
cutlass. 

I  say  food,  but  forgot  to  specify  what  it  was  and 
how  obtained.  Meyong  had  brought  us  a  luscious 
morsel  from  that  same  palm,  in  the  shape  of  a  great, 
fat  grub,  large  as  my  finger,  which  he  proposed  to 
fry  at  supper  time.  With  characteristic  generosity, 
he  offered  me  the  whole  of  it,  but  I  declined,  and  he 
and  his  friend  smacked  their  lips  in  anticipation. 
This  grub  was  from  an  egg  laid  in  the  decaying  heart 
of  the  palm  by  a  black  beetle,  which  always  chooses 
such  a  place  of  deposit  for  its  eggs.  The  ramiers 
were  plucked  and  dressed,  and  some  potatoes  and 
yams  boiled.  The  former  made  a  fine  stew  for  sup- 
per, after  which,  as  we  were  all  very  tired,  we  sought 
our  couch  of  palm  leaves.  I  threw  a  large  piece  of 
gum  upon  the  fire  before  retiring,  and  sat  a  while 
watching  the  curling  smoke  and  inhaling  the  sweet 
incense. 

There  was  a  moon,  a  bright  moon  shining  in  the 
heavens,  but  I  could  not  see  it  through  the  trees ; 
it  only  turned  the  darkness  of  night  beneath  the  foliage 
into  dusky  gloom,  and  twinkled  through  the  leaves  a 
single  diamond  ray. 

The  voices  of  the  night  are  many,  but  principally 
issue  from  frogs  and  nocturnal  cicadas.  The  most 
conspicuous  is  the  "crak-crak,"  which  continually 
repeats  the  two  syllables  forming  its  name,  from  sun- 
set to  sunrise.  There  are  several  frogs  also  that  give 
utterance  to  the  most  comical  sounds ;  but  the  one 
that  made  me  laugh  was  a  small  frog,  like  a  rain- 
frog,  and  what  he  repeated  all  night  long  was  this : 
"  Rig  a  jig  jig,  rig  a  jig  jig,  amen  I " 


124  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

Soon,  the  many  voices  blended  into  one,  and  I  was 
asleep.  Wrapped  in  my  blanket,  my  gun  by  my  side, 
and  my  two  Indians  stretched  in  slumber  near  me,  I 
slept  long  and  soundly,  nor  stirred  till  near  morning. 
It  may  have  been  an  hour  before  daylight,  as  I  lay  * 
in  that  half  conscious  state  that  sometimes  precedes 
awaking,  I  heard  distinctly  the  ringing  of  steel  upon 
steel,  echo  through  the  forest.  Listening  dreamily, 
I  heard  it  again  —  clings  clang  I  Instantly  I  was 
transported  to  another  clime,  and  the  forest  and  its 
tropical  wonders  faded  away.  I  was  in  a  little  New 
England  town,  in  the  shop  of  the  village  blacksmith, 
with  the  old  mare  I  used  to  drive  waiting  for  a  shoe. 
It  was  a  hot,  sultry  day  in  July,  the  hay-makers  were 
sweltering  in  the  sun,  and  the  leaves  on  the  trees  stood 
still.  Clings  clang,  cling!  I  saw  the  old  blacksmith 
smiting  the  shoe  as  he  fashioned  it,  and  heard  the 
metallic  ring  as  the  hammer  fell  with  a  half-blow  upon 
the  anvil.     Cling! — "Monsieur!" 

"  What  —  what's  the  matter?  " 

"  Monsieur,"  —  it  was  Coryet  who  spoke  —  "  you 
no  hear  ze  blacksmit?" 

"The  blacksmith  I  ah,  yes  ;  but  where  is  he?" 

"  Oh,  m'sieur,  he  no  on  ze  terre,  he  en  haul  in  ze 
tree." 

**  In  the  tree  !    A  blacksmith  in  a  tree?  " 

"  Oui,  m'sieur,  mais  he  no  blacksmit  veritable,  he 
inseck ;  he  make  ze  noise  wiz  hees  weeng." 

Now  I  saw  it  clearly,  it  was  one  of  those  cicadae, 
or  a  cricket,  which  produces  such  a  noise  by  rubbing 
together  the  heel-plates  of  its  wings.  Thus  was  my 
pleasant  dream  dissipated.  It  was  now  about  sunrise, 
though  it  would  be  long  before  the  sun  could  pene- 


THE  HAUNTS  OF  THE  PARROT.        I25 

trate  our  leafy  grove.  Meyong  made  but  little  fire, 
just  enough  for  the  preparation  of  our  coffee,  for  the 
wary  parrots  would  detect  our  whereabouts,  and  de- 
part farther  up  the  mountain.  We  heard  the  faint 
cry  of  one,  answered  by  another,  far  down  the  moun- 
tain-side, and  this  stimulated  us  to  extra  haste  ifi 
departing. 

Coryet  and  Meyong  were  to  descend  by  a  ravine  to 
a  valley,  while  I  was  to  follow  along  the  ridge  a  mile 
or  so,  and  take  my  stand  beneath  a  tall  tree  which  was 
accurately  described.  I  preferred  going  alone,  as  I 
ever  do  when  hunting,  not  only  from  the  fact  that  less 
noise  would  attend  me,  but  that  then  I  could  indulge  to 
the  full  that  communion  with  nature  which  the  pres- 
ence of  a  companion  always  interrupts,  or  rudely 
breaks. 

It  was  still  gloomy  in  the  forest;  a  shower  had 
fallen  during  the  night,  and  leaves,  vines,  and  ferns 
were  heavy  with  moisture.  Noiselessly  I  pursued  my 
wa}-',  indulging  in  that  sweet  reverie  which  solitude  in 
a  great  forest  always  excites.  Suddenly  there  broke 
upon  the  stillness  the  faint  report  of  a  gun.  This  at 
once  stirred  the  blood  in  my  veins,  as  my  boys  had 
promised  not  to  shoot  at  any  other  bird  than  the  im- 
perial parrot,  and  I  hoped  that  this  announced  the 
capture  of  one.  Impatiently  resting  beneath  the  huge 
tree,  and  concealing  myself  in  a  bower  of  orchids  and 
hanging  ferns,  I  waited  for  something  to  appear. 
Soon  the  harsh  screams  of  parrots  broke  upon  my 
ear,  and  a  flock  of  ten  or  twelve  swept  through  the 
woods  like  a  whirlwind,  just  beyond  range.  They 
were  the  small  green  parrot,  another  species,  but 
equally  desirable  with  the  larger.     Then  all  was  still 


126  CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 

again,  the  deep  silence  broken  only  by  the  call  of  the 
wood-pigeon. 

Turning  my  attention  more  closely  to  the  vines  that 
enclosed  me,  to  be  satisfied  that  there  were  no  poison- 
ous centipedes  or  scorpions  lurking  there,  I  unex- 
pectedly beheld  a  vision  of  loveliness  seldom  vouch- 
safed to  dwellers  of  the  icy  North.  Close  at  hand, 
within  two  feet  of  me,  sat  a  tiny  humming-bird  on  a 
downy  nest,  which  was  fastened  upon  a  twig  no  larger 
than  a  pencil.  During  all  my  stay  it  had  sat  there, 
gazing  upon  the  first  object  of  human  kind,  probably, 
it  had  ever  beheld.  Fearlessly  it  glanced  at  me  with 
its  bright,  black  eyes,  and  curiously  it  followed  my 
every  motion  with  its  shapely  little  head.  Involun- 
tarily I  stretched  forth  my  hand  to  touch  it,  but  at 
once  drew  back  for  fear  it  might  take  alarm  and  fly 
away.  A  buzzing  of  wings  attracted  my  attention, 
and  I  beheld  the  mate  of  the  one  on  the  nest,  who 
darted  at  me  with  unmistakable  fury,  his  glittering 
crest  erected  and  anger  shooting  from  his  eyes. 
Verily  I  had  this  pigmy's  body  been  in  proportion  to 
his  heart,  I  should  have  been  destroyed.  Satisfied 
that  he  could  not  drive  me  away  by  darting  at  my 
eyes,  he  rested  himself  a  moment  upon  a  twig  near 
the  nest,  where  he  was  at  once  joined  by  the  female, 
who  seemed  to  endeavor  by  caresses  to  soothe  his 
ruffled  temper  and  to  assure  him  that  my  intentions 
toward  them  were  not  evil.  Touched  to  the  heart  by 
this  exhibition  of  trust  and  love,  I  would  not  have 
harmed  these  little  innocents  for  a  fortune.  Exposed 
for  a  moment,  as  the  female  left  the  nest,  were  two 
eggs,  white  as  snow,  diminutive  as  seed-pearls. 

For  several  hours  I  watched  without  even  a  sound 


THE  HAUNTS  OF  THE  PARROT.        12*J 

to  reward  me,  and  during  my  stay  those  humming- 
birds watched  with  me,  the  male  darting  off  upon 
frequent  forays  for  insects  and  honey,  the  female 
snuggled  cosily  in  her  dainty  nest.  The  little  hus- 
band now  looked  upon  me  as  an  intruder,  to  be  tol- 
erated only  upon  sufferance,  and  at  my  slightest 
motion  he  would  dive  at  my  face;  at  which  exhibi- 
tion of  bravery  the  little  wife  would  twitter  with  de- 
light and  swell  with  pride. 

Finally  I  retraced  my  steps,  as  it  was  near  noon. 
I  had  nearly  reached  camp  when  I  saw  a  puff  of 
smoke  and  heard  a  loud  report,  and  directly  Coryet, 
who  had  espied  me,  ran  forward  with  animated  ges- 
tures. Interpreting  their  meaning,  and  obeying  his 
directions,  which  he  jabbered  in  broken  French,  I 
directed  my  attention  to  an  immense  gommier  tree  a 
few  liundred  feet  away.  At  first  I  saw  nothing,  but 
approaching  I  gradually  resolved  the  mass  of  foliage 
into  its  component  leaves  and  twigs,  vines  and  air 
plants,  and  caught  sight  of  a  glowing  body  clothed  in 
purple  and  golden-green. 

In  the  cloud  of  smoke  from  my  gun  it  disappeared, 
but  only  to  gleam  again  athwart  the  leafy  space  ere 
it  fell  with  heavy  thud  to  the  ground.  To  recover  it 
was  the  work  of  an  instant  with  the  excited  Indian, 
whose  enthusiasm  almost  equalled  mine  as  he  placed 
in  my  hands  this  largest  of  all  the  parrots  of  the 
Indies.  Their  first  shot  in  the  morning  had  been  in- 
effectual, but  the  second  had  wounded  the  mate  to 
this ;  and  it  w^as  its  loud  cries  that  caused  my  bird  to 
remain  so  long  in  a  place  fraught  with  so  much 
danger. 

At  last  I  had  secured  this  valuable  bird  I     And  I 


128  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

had  the  satisfaction,  several  months  later,  of  learning 
that  mine  were  the  first  ever  sent  to  America.  Does 
it  not  seem  strange  that  though  Columbus,  in  1493, 
when  he  approached  this  island  of  Dominica,  es- 
pecially noticed  the  "flights  of  parrots  and  other 
tropical  birds,"  nearly  four  hundred  years  should 
elapse  before  one  of  these  parrots  should  reach  the 
continent  he  was  the  means  of  discovering? 

This  bird  is  peculiar  to  the  island  and  is  found 
nowhere  else.  Its  cry  is  harsh,  somewhat  resembling 
the  cry  of  the  wild  turkey.  It  does  not,  like  the  small 
parrots,  associate  in  flocks,  but  is  always  found  in 
pairs ;  once  mated,  they  are  sundered  only  by  death. 
Morning  and  evening,  when  feeding,  they  cry  out 
noisily,  but  at  other  times  are  silent ;  though  if  a  gun 
be  fired  within  their  hearing,  or  a  tree  fall,  they  will 
all  scream  loudly  and  harshly  once  or  twice,  and  then 
subside  into  perfect  silence.  They  are  shy  and  wild, 
since  in  the  autumn  months  they  are  much  hunted, 
being  then  fat  and  delicious.  In  size,  they  are  nearly 
as  large  as  a  fowl,  being  twenty-three  inches  long  and 
thirty-six  in  extent  of  wings.  In  color,  they  are  bright 
green  above  and  purple  beneath,  with  metallic  reflec- 
tions. Rarely  does  it  descend  to  the  valleys,  as  its 
favorite  food  is  in  the  mountains.  Its  nest  is  made  in 
the  broken  shaft  of  a  palm,  very  high  from  the  ground. 
The  young,  if  obtained  early,  will  readily  learn  to 
talk. 

While  the  two  Indians  were  away  looking  for 
more  parrots,  an  accident  happened  to  one  of  my 
birds  which  greatly  excited  my  ire.  I  had  skinned 
both  birds  and  plentifully  besprinkled  them  with 
arsenic,  and  had  left  them  on  a  log  near  the  ajoupa, 


THE  HAUNTS  OF  THE  PARROT.        1 29 

while  I  went  in  search  of  some  dry  moss  with  which 
to  stuff  them.  Returning,  when  some  distance  away 
I  heard  a  low  grunt,  and  looking  up  saw  a  large 
hog,  black  as  night  and  gaunt  as  a  wolf,  snuffing  at 
the  log.  I  darted  forward  with  a  cry,  but  not  before 
the  sable  fiend  had  seized  one  of  the  birds  by  the  head 
and  started  to  run.  Thinking  only  of  my  specimen, 
I  pressed  him  so  closely  that  he  turned  at  bay,  show- 
.ing  fangs  long  as  my  fingers.  Then  he  started  again, 
as  I  hesitated  a  moment,  and  ran  more  swiftly  than 
before.  In  running,  he  stepped  upon  the  trailing 
wing  of  the  bird  and  wrenched  the  head  from  the 
body,  but  kept  on,  crunching  the  bones  between  his 
powerful  jaws,  and  disappeared  in  a  clump  of  bam- 
boos. As  I  had  neither  gun  nor  knife,  I  was  power- 
less to  avert  this  catastrophe,  but  was  obliged  to 
bottle  my  wrath  until  Meyong's  return.  He  then  in- 
formed me  that  there  were  hundreds  of  wild  hogs  in 
the  woods,  but  that  we  would  require  dogs  to  hunt 
them  with. 

It  was  at  once  decided  that  Coryet  should  return 
to  the  coast  on  the  morrow  with  my  birds,  procure 
more  provisions,  and  two  hunting-dogs  belonging 
to  old  Joseph,  a  chief.  Upon  his  return  we  would 
move  higher  up  the  mountains,  and  seek  reparation 
for  my  bird  from  the  droves  of  wild  hogs  there  roam- 
ing the  forests.  At  the  same  time  it  was  possible  I 
might  add  to  my  captures  that  inhabitant  of  the  upper 
volcano,  the  Dtablotin,  or  "Little  Devil,"  which  had 
not  been  seen  for  thirty  years. 

9 


130  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

A    DAY   IN    THE    DEEP   WOODS. 

THE     BEE-TREE.  —  ENVELOPED     IN     PLANTS.  —  ASCENDING     THE 
GIANT   TREE.  —  SMOKING  OUT  THE  BEES.  —  VEGETABLE  ROPES. 

—  HONEY  AD  LIBITUM.  — A  BITE. —  A  HOWL.  — THE  BEE- 
EATERS.  —  CARIB  PERVERSITY.  —  SWEET  CONTENT.  —  HOW  TO 
DRAW   A   BEE-LINE. — THE   PALM    TROUGHS.  — A  BAMBOO  CUP. 

—  A  STROLL  AND  AN  ALARM.  —  THE  CARIB  GHOST.  —  TRA- 
DITIONS.—  THE  MARCH  RESUMED.  —  AN  ARMY  OF  CRABS. — 
CRABS  THAT  MIGRATE. — DELICIOUS  FOOD. — THE  MOUNTAIN 
PEAK.  —  HUNTING  THE  "DIABLOTIN."  —  IS  IT  A  MYTH?  — 
CAUGHT  IN  A  STORM. — THE  CARIB  CASTLE. — THE  CAPTIVE'S 
CAVE.  —  VA.MPIRES.  —  THE  FOREST  SPIRIT. 

EARLY  the  next  morning,  Coryet  departed  for  the 
coast,  taking  with  him  nothing  but  his  cutlass, 
his  pannier,  and  a  cooked  tannier  to  eat  on  the  way. 
He  left  us  barely  enough  provisions  for  a  day,  but 
Meyong  reckoned  upon  finding  some  wild  yams,  and 
shooting  birds  and  agoutis.  He  went  a  little  way  with 
his  beloved  friend,  and  then  returned  to  the  ajoupa. 

After  the  customary  coffee  had  been  prepared  and 
brought  me,  he  returned  to  the  fire  and  proceeded  to 
collect  together  four  or  five  brands  some  two  feet  in 
length,  with  blazing  ends,  and  bind  them  firmly  into 
a  flambeau,  with  tough  lianes.  Knowing  it  was  un- 
necessary to  question  him  when  he  had  unrestrained 
power  to  do  as  he  pleased  in  the  forest,  I  watched  hira 
as  he  fastened  on  his  wicker  pannier,  and  lined  it  with 


A    DAY    IN    THE    DEEP   WOODS.  I3I 

broad  leaves.  This  once  strapped  to  his  shoulders,  he 
took  up  the  calabash,  the  cutlass  and  blazing  brands, 
and  bade  me  follow  him.  I  did  so,  carrying,  of  course, 
my  gun  (my  never-absent  friend),  and  swinging  on 
my  game-basket,  with  a  supply  of  cartridges. 

He  then  led  the  way  down  the  hill,  and  stopped 
almost  in  sight  of  the  smoke  of  our  fire  in  camp.  It 
was  beneath  a  tree  of  vast  size,  which  shot  up  from  a 
wilderness  of  fallen  trunks  and  limbs,  a  gommier, 
towering  aloft  in  kingly  majesty,  enveloped  in  lianes 
which  hung  from  every  bough  and  limb,  thickly 
covered  with  broad-leaved  parasites,  orchids  and  wild 
pines,  its  base  throwing  out  strong  buttresses  like 
the  cj'press  of  the  South,  but  higher  and  broader,  its 
upper  limbs  jagged  and  weather-beaten,  stretching 
their  multitudinous  fingers  heavenward  two  hundred 
feet  above  us.  It  was  beginning  to  decay,  and  this 
forest  monarch  of  centuries,  perhaps,  was  almost 
ready  to  totter  on  his  throne. 

Meyong  pointed  to  a  dark  spot  as  large  as  my  hand, 
some  sixty  feet  above,  and  said,  "You  no  see  um?" 

"See  what?" 

"Zebees!" 

Then  I  fully  understood  the  meaning  of  his  prep- 
arations, which  I  had  till  then  hardly  surmised.  This 
was  a  bee-t7'ee,  the  home  of  a  swarm,  one  of  the 
numberless  progeny  of  some  bees  from  Europe,  which 
went  wild  a  hundred  years  ago. 

Laying  his  gun  at  the  foot  of  the  tree,  and  lopping 
off  a  few  leaves  from  a  parasite  overhead,  to  protect 
it  from  the  damp,  Meyong  seized  hold  of  a  large  liane, 
cut  it  from  its  attachment  at  the  base,  and  climbed  up 
into  the  tree.     Remember,  there  were  no  limbs  for 


132  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

eighty  feet.  About  twenty  feet  up  he  rested  a  moment, 
and  requested  me  to  attach  the  bundle  of  smoking 
fagots  to  a  liane ;  he  then  drew  it  up  to  him  and  stuck 
it  into  a  crevice. 

Then  he  went  up  again,  —  he  didn't  "shin,"  by 
clinging  with  his  arms  and  legs ;  the  tree  was  too 
broad,  and  the  mass  of  vines  and  plants  too  enormous 
for  that, — but  he  just  seized  a  liane,  like  a  rope, 
between  his  toes,  the  great  toe  and  the  one  next  it, 
and  -walked  up,  hand  over  hand,  and  toe  over  toe. 
The  pannier  fastened  to  his  shoulders,  and  the  cutlass 
dangling  behind  from  his  belt,  gave  him  the  appear- 
ance of  a  hump-backed  monkey,  as  he  ascended 
rapidly,  half  enveloped  in  smoke.  Great  parasites, 
with  leaves  like  cabbage  leaves,  and  orchids  large  as 
peonies,  came  crashing  down,  sprinkling  me  with 
water  from  their  inverted  calyxes,  as  he  went  on 
steadily  climbing. 

At  last  he  reached  a  point  just  beneath  the  hole,  at 
a  height  equal  to  the  mast-head  of  a  brig,  and  then, 
holding  on  with  one  hand,  he  drew  up  the  firebrands 
and  thrust  their  unlighted  ends  into  a  crevice  a  little 
below  the  hole.  He  signaled  me  to  attach  the  calabash 
to  a  lialine  no  larger  than  a  fish-line,  which  I  did, 
and  awaited  further  orders.  Detaching  a  brand  from 
the  bundle,  he  thrust  it  into  the  hole  previous  to  put- 
ting in  his  hand.  He  was  almost  hidden  by  a  cloud 
of  angry  bees,  who,  stupefied  by  the  smoke,  did  not 
seem  to  recognize  in  him  an  enemy,  and  hundreds 
alighted  upon  his  shirt  and  pantaloons,  and  many  on 
his  bare  legs.  The  hole  was  too  small,  and  Meyong 
enlarged  it  with  his  cutlass;  previously,  however,  he 
had    formed  a  staging    upon  which   to   stand,  about 


A  DAY  IN  THE  DEEP  WOODS.         I33 

four  feet  beneath  the  aperture,  by  thrusting  a  stout 
pole  through  the  lianes,  and  lashing  it  with  a  lia:line. 
The  fagots,  to  which  he  had  secured  apiece  of  punky 
wood,  were  smoking  bravely,  and  he  now  signaled 
me  to  send  up  the  calabash.  First,  however,  he  filled 
his  leaf-lined  pannier,  or  basket-knapsack,  with  great 
flakes  of  wax,  throwing  away  the  first  crust,  which 
was  brown  and  dry,  and  very  soon  had  it  full  to  the 
top  with  honey-laden  wax.  Detaching  it,  he  lowered 
it  down  by  one  of  the  living  ropes  which  surrounded 
him,  and  drew  up  and  filled  the  calabash.  I  laid  the 
wax  dripping  with  honey  upon  some  long  and  broad 
leaves  of  the  wild  plantain,  three  feet  long  by  one  foot 
broad.  At  every  successive  descent  of  the  vessel  it 
contained  more  and  more  liquid,  and  at  last  came 
down  with  but  little  wax,  nothing  but  golden  and 
fragrant  syrup. 

What  should  I  do?  There  was  no  bowl  or  pan  to 
put  it  in. 

Meyong  saw  my  perplexity,  and  shouted  down  for 
me  to  collect  some  of  the  boat-shaped  spathes  of  the 
mountain  palm,  the  sheaths  that  protect  and  overhang 
the  seeds  and  flowers.  A  palm  lay  prostrate  near 
me  ;  two  of  its  spathes,  exactly  like  the  half  of  a  pea- 
pod  in  shape,  five  feet  long  and  two  feet  wide,  were 
quickly  drawn  to  the  tree.  They  were  clean  and 
freshly  washed  by  the  dews  of  the  morning,  and  into 
one  of  these  I  poured  the  honey  fast  as  it  came  to  me 
from  the  tree  above. 

An  exclamation  caused  me  to  look  up,  and  I  saw  my 
friend  in  agony,  grimaces  passing  swiftly  over  his 
face,  as  he  endeavored  vainly  to  dislodge  an  intruding 
bee,  whose  success  in  finding  a  vulnerable  place  on 


134  CAMPS   IN   THE   CARIBBEES. 

Meyong's  skin  was  proclaimed  by  that  worthy  in  a 
howl  of  dismay. 

Meyong  was  a  good  boy  and  generally  very  trac- 
table, but  he  would  never  listen  to  my  advice  and  wear 
his  shirt  inside  his  pantaloons.  He  said  it  was  the 
fashion  to  wear  it  outside,  and  used  an  expression 
equivalent  to  that  in  so  common  use  among  the  ladies  : 
"To  be  out  of  fashion  is  to  be  out  of  the  world." 

I  argued  with  him  and  entreated  him,  but  in  this  he 
would  have  his  own  way  ;  and  I  really  believe  that  if 
•  every  man  in  the  Carib  nation  were  bitten  by  a  bee 
every  day  in  his  mortal  life,  he  would  still  persist  in  dis- 
playing a  flag  of  distress  above  his  nether  coverings. 

And  thus  he  went  on,  with  alternate  howls  and 
exclamations  of  sweeter  character,  such  as  mid  douce, 
(honey  sweet,)  until  the  great  palm  troughs  were  full 
enough  and  I  concluded  it  would  be  well  to  desist.    - 

Early  in  the  proceedings  he  had  whistled  shrilly 
several  times,  and  when  I  asked  the  reason,  he  said  it 
was  to  call  the  malfini.  "  Mai  fini  "  was  the  name 
given  to  the  hawk,  from  its  cry ;  but  this  applied  to  a 
small  bird  of  the  fly-catcher  family,  which  would  come 
and  eat  the  bees  and  thus  diminish  the  number  of 
Meyong's  assailants.  The  bird  came,  a  small,  shy, 
gray  bird,  which  approached  cautiously,  evidently 
astonished  to  see  a  human  being  up  in  a  tree  sur- 
rounded with  smoke,  and  another  at  the  foot  of  the 
tree.  But  he  did  not  stop  to  speculate,  but  worked 
assiduously,  and  soon  he  was  joined  by  others ; 
though  their  united  efforts  failed  to  lessen  perceptibly 
the  angry  swarm. 

Supplied  with  all  the  honey  I  cared  for,  I  sat  con- 
tentedly upon  a  fallen  log,  with  my  feet  thrust  down 


A  DAY  IN  THE  DEEP  WOODS.         135 

among  tangled  twigs,  exposed  to  the  gaze  of  ants, 
centipedes,  scorpions  and  what  not,  and  calmly 
munched  the  waxen  cells,  expressing  from  those  hex- 
agonal receptacles  their  delicious  burden  of  honey,  by 
a  process  the  most  primitive,  but  also  the  most  satis- 
factor}',  known  to  man. 

As  I  sat  there  a  picture  of  sweet  endeavor,  Me- 
yong  prepared  to  descend,  and  brought  with  him  as  he 
swung  down,  hand  under  hand,  a  cloud  of  bees,  who, 
attracted  by  the  cargo  of  honey  in  the  spathes  and  by 
my  sweet  countenance,  left  the  boy  and  traveled  in  my 
direction.  Entangled  as  I  was  in  the  meshwork  of 
branches,  I  furnished  a  scene  for  the  hardened  Me- 
yong,  who,  still  smarting  from  recent  stings,  was  a 
most  J03ful  witness  of  my  discomfiture. 

Though  never  an  apt  scholar  in  mathematics,  I 
learned  a  lesson  from  the  bees  that  day,  and  described, 
as  accurately  as  the  nature  of  the  ground  would  allow, 
a  bcc-line  for  camp.  I  think  the  most  stupid  student 
in  school  would  be  able  to  understand  that  a  straight 
line  was  the  ''  shortest  distance  between  two  points," 
with  a  swarm  of  angry  bees  after  him  thirsting  for  his 
blood ;  especially,  when  at  one  of  those  points  was 
safety,  and  at  the  other  bees. 

In  the  afternoon  I  went  out  hunting  and  was  success- 
ful, bringing  back  several  pigeons.  Meyong  mean- 
while had  not  been  idle,  for  he  had,  ready-cooked,  the 
cabbage  of  a  mountain  palm,  and  two  hideous  grubs 
nicely  browning  over  the  coals.  Now  "we  had  veg- 
etables, meat  and  honey,  but  there  was  no  utensil  for 
dipping  out  the  latter  from  the  troughs. 

"  Come  wiz  me,"  said  Meyong. 

I  went  with  him  a  few  rods  to  a  clump  of  bamboos 


136  CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 

—  the  same  in  which  the  hog  had  disappeared  the  day 
before.  Selecting  a  long  reed  an  inch  and  a  half  in 
diameter,  he  cut  it  off  with  his  cutlass.  The  joints  in 
this  reed  were  about  four  inches  apart,  and  it  was  a 
hollow  tube  partitioned  at  the  joints  ;  upon  the  outside 
of  each  grew  a  lateral  branch.  Trimming  off  the 
small  shoot  and  cutting  the  larger  part  off  about 
three  inches  each  side  of  it,  he  had  then  a  double- 
ended  cup  with  a  firm  handle,  divided  in  the  middle. 
Upon  our  return  to  the  village,  Meyong  covered  this 
cup  very  neatly  with  basket-work ;  and  I  have  it  now 
before  me  as  I  write. 

Towards  night,  I  took  my  gun  and  wandered  a  little 
way  from  camp  to  try  to  shoot  some  of  the  immense 
vampire  bats  that  haunted  the  forest.  My  attention 
being  taken  up  with  the  many  objects  about  me,  I 
wandered  farther  than  I  had  intended,  and  darkness 
fell  about  me  at  a  distance  from  the  camp.  If  the 
days  are  glorious,  the  tropic  nights  are  grand ;  im- 
pressive in  the  deep  brooding  silence,  until  the  insects 
of  the  night  break  the  stillness,  or  the  hoot  of  the  owl, 
or  the  shriek  of  the  diablotin,  disturbs  it. 

I  had  been  seated  a  little  while  and  it  had  grown 
quite  dark,  and  I  was  about  returning,  when,  as  I 
moved,  a  stick  crackled  sharply,  thrilling  me  through 
with  a  strange  feeling  of  fear.  It  was  nothing  but  a 
dry  twig  upon  which  I  myself  had  stepped,  yet  an 
unaccountable  dread  of  moving  possessed  me  at  that 
moment,  as  though  I  felt  the  presence  of  another 
person  near,  whom  I  could  not  see.  As  I  walked,  I 
peered  all  about  mc,  but  could  see  nothing.  Yet,  during 
all  that  short  walk  I  felt  as  if  in  the  presence  of  a 
powerful  man  about  to  lay  his  hand  on  my  shoulder. 


A  DAY  IN  THE  DEEP  WOODS.        137 

This  feeling  I  could  not  shake  off ;  but  I  reached  camp 
without  harm,  though  my  face  must  have  beirayed 
me,  for  Meyong  noticed  my  agitation  and  remarked : 
"Ah,  you  meet  jumbie,  eh?" 

Jombie,  or  jumbie,  is  the  name  by  which  are  known 
the  evil  spirits  who  walk  the  earth. 

"  No,"  I  replied,  "I  have  seen  nothing."  I  did  not 
care  to  show  to  Meyong  any  such  foolish  fear  as  had 
just  before  possessed  me. 

"  You  no  see  him,  but  he  see  you ;  something  make 
you  Traid."  This  I  could  not  deny ;  and  then  Me- 
yong launched  into  the  story  of  the  ghost  that  haunted 
this  mountain,  which  he  fully  believed.  Stretched 
upon  my  bed  of  palm-leaves,  I  listened  as  he  talked. 

"If  * crak-crak '  bawl  one  kind  way,  some  person 
go  to  dead.  Me  sinks  me  hear  zat  to-day.  Long 
agone,  in  old  Carib  time,  one  berry  cruel  man  say  he 
must  to  be  bury  like  he  sit  down,  he  must  to  be  put  in 
he  grave  just  like  he  sit  on  bench.  Well,  zey  make 
him  so,  and  not  long  all  ze  person  get  walloping ;  zey 
know  not  who  mike  it,  but  if  a  man  only  so  speak  of 
ze  man  buried  and  say,  '  Ah,  poor  fellah,'  he  shu  to 
get  him  skin  well  wallop.  It  make  ze  person  most 
fright  to  dead,  and  if  zey  but  go  near  he  hut  where 
him  bury  in  ze  night,  zey  must  to  see  him  jumbie  and 
get  blow  on  ze  head.  Soon  again,  he  jumbie  take  to 
go  in  ze  canoe  all  about  ze  coast ;  when  zQ.y  go  fishin' 
he  always  to  be  dah  :  he  whistle,  he  sing,  an'  ze  canoe 
men  use  to  him  an'  not  mine  him.  One  day  ze  canoe 
swamp  an'  ze  jumbie  make  to  drown,  but  ze  Carib 
men  he  no  drown ;  zey  see  him  no  mo'.  Person  say 
he  come  up  to  ze  mountain,  zat  I  sinks  myself.  After 
zat,  no  mo'  Carib  bury  like  him  sitting  down." 


138  CAMPS   IN   THE   CARIBBEES. 

By  the  time  this  was  finished  I  was  asleep  and  knew 
no  more  till  morning.  Instead  of  waiting  for  Coryet  on 
the  third  day,  Meyong  proposed  that  we  should  make 
an  easy  march  up  the  mountain-side,  leaving  a  sign  for 
his  friend  to  follow  when  he  should  reach  the  camp. 
Our  route  lay  through  a  region  similar  to  the  one  we 
left,  only  constantly  becoming  more  and  more  elevated 
and  consequently  rugged. 

It  was  during  this  march  that  we  met  one  of  the 
most  curious  processions  ever  seen  in  this  land  of 
wonders.  Climbing  the  steep  hill-side,  and  clinging 
by  one  hand  as  I  climbed,  giving  all  my  attention  to 
my  work,  I  suddenly  became  conscious  that  I  was 
surrounded  by  moving  objects,  whom  I  could  hear  as 
they  rustled  over  leaves  and  rocks.  I  rubbed  my 
eyes  and  looked  around.  Meyong  was  behind,  but 
saw  them  at  the  same  time  I  did,  and  eagerly  shouted, 
^  Gardcz!  Ze  crabs  I  "  It  was  true,  there  was  an 
army  of  crabs ^  and  we  were  in  the  midst  of  it.  It 
behooved  us  to  get  out  of  the  way  at  once,  for  these 
crabs  (as  large  as  a  good-sized  crab  of  the  sea-shore) 
have  a  disagreeable  way  of  climbing  up  and  over 
everything  in  their  course,  and  of  using  their  power- 
ful claws  upon  the  slightest  provocation. 

Well,  we  got  behind  a  large  tree,  and  my  guide 
made  side  forays  upon  them  as  they  went  by  (for  they 
are  most  delicious  eating),  until  we  had  collected  as 
many  as  he  could  carry. 

And  how,  think  you,  did  he  secure  them?  Why,  he 
just  tied  their  claws  together  with  a  lialine,  a  small 
cord-like  root,  and  then  placed  them  in  a  heap  at 
his  feet.  Fortunate  for  us  that  this  was  a  small 
army,  otherwise  I  don't  know  how   soon  we   could 


A  DAY  IN  THE  DEEP  WOODS. 


139 


have  pursued  our  way,  for  they  sometimes  travel  by 
thousands.     A  v^ry  old  French  writer  gives  the  only 

account 

that    we 

can  find 

of    these 

crabs ;  and 

-   were  it  not 

that  I  had  seen 

them    on     the 

march,  there  are 

some  things   he 

says  the  truth  of 

which  I  should  be 

inclined  to  doubt. 


They   . 

live  not 

only  in  a  kind 

of  orderly  and  '"^^ 

quiet  society  in  their  ^^  ;^rmy 

retreats  in  the  mountains,  but  regularly  once  a  year 

march  down  to  the  seaside  in  a  body,  some  millions 

at  a  time.    They  choose  the  months  of  April  and  May 

to  begin  their  expeditions,  and  then  sally  out  from  the 


OF    Crabs. 


140  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

stumps  of  hollow  trees,  clefts  of  rocks,  and  from  holes 
which  they  dig  for  themselves  in  the  earth. 

The  sea  is  their  destination,  and  here  they  cast  their 
spawn.  For  this  purpose,  no  sooner  has  the  crab 
reached  the  shore  than  it  eagerly  goes  to  the  edge  of 
the  water  and  lets  the  waves  wash  over  its  body  to 
wash  off  the  spawn.  The  eggs  are  hatched  under 
the  sand,  and  soon  after,  millions  of  the  new-born 
crabs  are  seen  quitting  the  shore,  and  slowly  traveling 
up  the  mountains.  In  going  down,  they  turn  neither 
to  right  nor  left ;  even  if  they  meet  a  house,  they  will 
attempt  to  scale  it.  The  procession  sets  forward  with 
the  precision  of  an  army.  It  is  commonly  divided 
into  battalions,  with  the  strongest  in  front.  The  night 
is  their  chief  time  of  traveling,  but  if  it  rains  by  day, 
they  improve  that  occasion.  When  the  sun  shines, 
they  make  a  universal  halt  till  evening.  In  the  season 
of  moulting,  they  retire  to  their  burrows  to  cast  their 
shells,  filling  them  with  grass  and  leaves. 

My  native  boy's  account  of  their  habits  agreed  sub- 
stantially with  this,  and  he  added,  moreover,  that  if 
there  was  any  one  thing  better  than  another,  it  was  the 
flesh  of  these  same  crabs  ;  a  statement  I  can  cheerfully 
verif}' ,  as  that  night  we  feasted  on  crab  on  the  half- 
shell,  crabs'  claws,  crab  fricasseed  and  crab  roasted. 

As  the  camp  we  had  left  was  at  a  good  height  above 
the  sea-coast,  we  were  now  in  the  upper  regions  of  the 
mountains.  The  vegetation  had  already  changed  to 
a  great  extent  and  had  more  of  an  Alpine  character. 
As  we  walked  along  we  could  now  and  then  catch 
glimpses  of  the  sea  at  a  distance,  and  obtain  a  view 
of  the  nearer  sea  of  trees,  spread  over  the  fair  valleys 
below  us.    In  the  afternoon  we  were  painfully  scaling 


A   DAY    IN    THE    DEEP   WOODS.  I4I 

the  precipitous  sides  of  one  of  the  two  peaks  which 
form  the  double  summit  of  Morne  Diablotin.  We 
were  now  in  the  region  especially  appropriated  as 
his  home  by  the  Diablotin^  or  "Little  Devil;"  and 
anxiously  we  searched,  as  we  scrambled  over  the  loose 
rock,  for  some  trace  of  the  hole  in  which  he  lived. 

Wherever  I  had  been  in  the  island  I  had  heard  of 
the  diablotin,  and  my  curiosity  was  excited  to  such 
a  degree  that  I  determined  to  clear  away  the  mystery 
which  surrounded  it.  For  thirty  years  it  had  remained 
unseen.  Many  treated  as  a  myth  this  story  of  a  bird 
living  in  the  mountains  (for  it  is  a  bird)  so  long  a 
period  without  appearing  to  human  vision.  But  suffi- 
cient proof  existed,  in  my  opinion,  to  warrant  a  search 
for  it.  The  older  people  of  the  island  had  distinct  re- 
membrances of  seeing  it,  and  attributed  its  disappear- 
ance to  the  depredations  of  the  "  manacou,"  a  marsu- 
pial animal  like  an  opossum,  which  hunted  it  from  its 
holes  and  devoured  it  and  its  eggs.  No  two  persons 
agreed  as  to  its  color,  shape,  or  size ;  but  I  had  seen 
in  an  old  French  w^ork,  written  by  a  Catholic  mission- 
ary to  these  islands  some  two  centuries  ago, — the 
Pere  Labat — a  good  description  of  the  bird.  This 
description,  doubtless  translated  bodily,  I  also  found 
in  an  old  history  of  Dominica,  published  in  1791.  It 
says:  "The  ^/a<^/cifm,  so  called  by'the  French  from 
its  uncommonly  ugly  appearance,  is  nearly  the  size 
of  a  duck,  and  is  web-footed.  It  has  a  big,  round 
head,  crooked  bill  like  a  hawk,  and  large,  full  eyes 
like  an  owl.  Its  head,  part  of  the  neck,  chief  feath- 
ers of  the  wings  and  tail,  are  black;  the  other  parts 
of  its  body  are  covered  with  a  fine,  milk-white  down. 
They  feed  on  fish,  flying  in  great  flocks  to  the  sea- 


142  CAMPS    IN   THE   CARIBBEES. 

side  in  the  night-time,  and  in  their  flight  make  a 
disagreeable  noise  like  owls,  which  bird  they  also 
resemble  in  their  dislike  of  the  day,  when  they  are 
hid  in  holes  in  the  mountains,  where  they  are  easily 
caught.  This  is  done  by  stopping  up  some  of  the 
holes  which  lead  to  their  hiding-places  and  placing 
empty  bags  over  the  rest,  which  communicate  under- 
ground with  those  stopped.  The  birds,  at  their  usual 
time  of  going  forth  to  seek  their  food  in  the  night- 
time, finding  their  passage  impeded,  make  to  the 
holes  covered  with  the  bags,  into  which  entering, 
great  numbers  of  them  are  caught." 

Though  hardly  accepting  the  statement  by  the  moun- 
taineers that  a  bird  so  far-flying  could  be  exterminated 
by  a  merely  local  disturber,  I  was  obliged  to  admit 
that  it  no  longer  inhabited  its  old  homes.  For  two 
hours  we  prolonged  the  search,  cold  and  wet,  but 
found  nothing  to  reward  us.  We  saw,  to  be  sure, 
many  cracks  and  crannies  in  the  rocks  where  a  dia- 
blotin  might  have  hidden,  but  no  long  holes,  such  as 
those  made  by  the  "  Mother  Gary's  chickens  "  in  the 
Bay  of  Fundy.  There,  five  years  previously,  I  had 
drawn  many  a  petrel  from  the  end  of  a  long,  winding 
hole,  as  it  sat  quietly  upon  its  single  egg ;  but  this 
other  petrel  (for  it  is  a  giant  petrel,  probably  the  Prion 
Caribbcea)  was  not  to  be  found,  and  I  departed  sor- 
rowfully down  the  mountain,  to  look  for  shelter. 

We  were  at  such  an  altitude  that  mist  and  rain  con- 
stantly surrounded  us.  The  fierce  wind,  that  always 
blows  from  the  eastward,  nearly  swept  us  over  the 
narrow  crest.  Thunder  boomed  beneath  and  around 
us,  and  rain  fell  in  torrents  at  times,  and  the  view  I 
had  hoped  to  obtain  of  the  fairest  group  of  islands  ia 


A    DAY    IN    THE    DEEP    WOODS.  I43 

the  Southern  Sea  was  hidden  by  a  veil  of  mist  and 
fog.  It  was  nearly  dark,  though  perhaps  not  very 
late  ;  but  the  cloud  of  mist  aided  approaching  night, 
and  I  was  apprehensive  that  exposure  would  result  to 
our  injury,  especially  as  there  was  no  roof  to  cover  us 
and  no  material  for  making  a  fire.  My  implicit  faith 
in  the  resources  of  my  guide  was  not  unrewarded,  for 
we  had  descended  but  a  short  distance  when  he  cried 
out,  pointing  to  an  immense  rock  as  large  as  a  church, 
just  in  sight  farther  down,  "You  no  see  ajoupa?" 

It  was,  as  I  said,  a  huge  rock,  so  delicately  poised 
upon  a  spur  from  the  main  ridge  that  it  seemed  ready 
to  fall.  We  seemed  surrounded  by  an  almost  intermi- 
nable forest  beneath,  while  above  towered  the  twin 
mountain-peaks,  bare  and  gray.  As  those  near  peaks 
were  more  than  five  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  we 
were  now  in  a  region  cold  and  bleak,  forty-eight  hun- 
dred feet  above  the  coast.  Meyong  had  called  this 
rock  an  ajoupa,  and  there  must  be,  I  knew,  some 
reason  for  it,  as  he  was  one  of  those  matter-of-fact 
persons  who  call  a  spade  a  spade.  Just  as  we  reached 
an  angle  of  the  rock  he  turned  abruptly  from  the  trail 
and  dived  beneath  another  rock  into  a  hole  about 
breast-high.  Following  him,  I  found  myself  in  a 
spacious  cavern  hollowed  out  of  the  rock,  with  an 
entrance  on  the  mountain-side  just  large  enough  to 
admit  a  man  conveniently. 

The  sudden  transition  from  the  howling  of  a  tem- 
pest to  comparative  silence,  from  the  fury  of  a  pelting 
rain  to  the  shelter  of  a  roof,  was  bewildering,  and  I 
looked  about  me  in  wonder.  While  I  stood  in  the 
semi-darkness  that  wrapped  everything  iti  gloom,  the 
water  dripping  from  my  saturated  garments,  Meyong 


144  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

drew  out  from  a  corner  of  the  cave  a  manufactured 
flambeau  and  lighted  it.  By  the  glare  it  shed  around 
I  could  see  that  I  was  in  a  smoke-blackened  chamber 
large  enough  to  contain  fifty  men,  with  high  vaulted 
roof  and  rude  seats  hollowed  out  of  the  rock  near  the 
floor,  which  latter  was  covered  with  a  thin  coating  of 
earth.  There  was  a  large  heap  of  dry  wood  near  the 
entrance,  from  which  Meyong  drew  enough  for  a  fire, 
which  was  soon  blazing  cheerily,  the  smoke  escaping 
through  some  crevices  in  the  roof. 

My  first  care  was  for  my  beloved  gun  ;  and  having 
taken  off"  the  barrels  and  inverted  them  near  the  fire, 
I  oiled  the  locks  and  steel  parts  of  the  stock,  and, 
later,  the  barrels  themselves ;  then  stripping  myself 
of  clothing,  I  drew  a  blanket  over  my  shoulders  and 
waited  for  my  garments  to  dry.  Huge  bats,  disturbed 
by  the  unwonted  light,  flapped  above  us  with  regular 
beats  of  their  broad  wings,  some  of  them  large  as 
pigeons,  known  as  vampires,  true  blood-suckers.  A 
small  variety  also  flew  softly  about,  hundreds  of  them 
playing  in  the  space  above  our  heads  and  darting 
at  us. 

"  Zis  old  Charaib  caverne,"  said  Meyong. 

"  What,  the  one  to  which  the  chief  carried  the  gov- 
ernor's wife?"  demanded  I  quickly. 

"Out,  ze  rock  veritable." 

A  long  time  ago,  —  nearly  or  quite  two  hundred 
years,  —  when  the  Carib  was  known  only  as  the 
cruel,  untamable  cannibal,  these  Indians  made  long 
cruises  in  their  canoes  to  procure  victims  for  sacrifice 
at  their  feasts.    One  hundred  miles  north  of  Dominica 

ft 

lies  the  lovely  island  of  Antigua,  at  that  time  thinly 
settled.    To  this  island  the  Caribs  made  frequent  pred- 


A    DAY    IN    THE    DEEP    WOODS.  I45 

atory  raids,  always  returning  well  rewarded.  In  one 
of  these  excursions  the  chief  of  the  tribe  captured 
the  wife  of  the  governor  of  Antigua,  who  lived  in  a 
secluded  nook  in  that  island,  near  the  sea.  She  was 
brought  a  prisoner  to  this  place,  to  this  very  cave, 
Meyong  says,  and  held,  contrary  to  their  custom,  for 
ransom.  I  will  not  try  to  depict  the  wrath  and  de- 
spair of  the  husband,  nor  the  details  of  the  pursuit  he 
at  once  organized,  but  merely  state  that  he  sought  her 
out,  traced  her  to  the  Carib  retreat  by  fragments  of 
clothing  torn  from  her  by  cruel  thorns,  and' eventually 
succeeded  in  returning  with  her.  She  had  been  weeks 
in  captivity,  but  had  been  well  treated. 

This,  then,  was  the  cavern  in  which  that  delicate 
lady  lay  captive,  nearly  two  Centuries  ago  !  Truly,  it 
was  a  poor  retreat  for  a  tenderly  nurtured  woman, 
but  a  grand  one  for  Meyong  and  myself.  After  the 
fire  was  well  going,  Meyong  made  a  large  torch, 
which  he  stuck  in  a  crevice  outside  as  a  guide  to 
Coryet  in  his  ascent.  The  crabs,  which  the  sly  fel- 
low, with  wise  forethought,  had  deposited  in  a  heap 
by  the  rock  as  we  had  ascended,  were  then  brought 
in  and  some  of  them  roasted ;  and  the^,  with  some 
cold  boiled  yam,  made  a  grateful  repast.  We  sat 
over  the  fire  till  late,  then  spread  our  blankets  upon 
the  earth  and  lay  down  to  sleep. 

Several  hours  later  I  was  awakened  by  a  disturb- 
ance, and  rolling  over  quickly,  saw  Coryet  standing 
in  the  doorway.  But  it  appeared  more  like  his  appa- 
rition than  himself  in  flesh  and  blood,  as  he  stood 
there  shaking  with  cold.  The  dogs,  which  he  held 
in  leash,  as  soon  as  released  slunk  into  a  corner  with 
their  tails  between  their  legs,  uttering  low^  whines. 
10 


146 


CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 


The  fire  had  burned  low,  and  it  was  only  by  iis  fit- 
ful gleams  that  I  saw  this  strange  vision.  Meyong 
touched  me,  and  whispered,  "Cory et  see  jumbie." 

So  it  was ;  he  had  seen  the  visitor  of  whom  I  had 
but  felt  the  presence.  Looking  upon  this  event,  or 
chain  of  events,  in  the  light  of  subsequent  revelations, 
I  laugh ;  but  at  that  time  I  almost  believed,  with  my 
boys,  in  the  existence  of  a  forest  spirit. 


A   MIDNIGHT    MARCH.  I47 


CHAPTER  X. 

A    MIDNIGHT   MARCH,  AND    WHAT   CAME    OF    IT. 

THE  APPARITION. — THE  LOST  CHIEF. — A  FORGOTTEN  LANGUAGE. 

—  THE  MARCH  BY  TORCHLIGHT.  —  STRANGE  AND  DISTORTED 
FORMS.  —  THE  FOREST  WILDERNESS.  —  A  MYSTERIOUS  SOUND. — 
"a  TREE  FELLED  BY  GOD."  —  VIRGIN,  PROTECT  US  !-.- COOKING 
BY  STEAM.  —  THE  ROSEWOOD  CABIN. —  THE  CHIEF  DISAPPEARS. 

—  IS  IT  GOLD?  —  A  SMALL  BOA  CONSTRICTOR. — A  CARIB  BAS- 
ILISK. —  THE  BIGGEST  BUG  IN  THE  WORLD.  —  IT  COMES  IN 
SEARCH  OF  THE  NATURALIST.  —  THE  HERCULES  BEETLE.  — 
CENTIPEDES.  —  SCORPIONS.  —  AN  UNNAMED  PALM  WITH  EDIBLE 
SEEDS.  —  A  PRIESTESS  OF  OBEAH.  —  AFRICAN  WITCHCRAFT.  — 
ITS  STRONGHOLD.  —  PROSTRATED   BY   THE   HEAT.  —  FEVER. 

DRAWING  the  well-nigh  exhausted  Coryet  into 
the  cave,  Meyong  quickly  revived  the  fire,  and 
assisted  him  to  disburden  himself  of  his  load  of  pro- 
visions. Weak  and  trembling,  the  boy  sank  to  the 
earth ;  and  not  till  a  drink  of  rum  had  been  poured 
down  his  throat  could  he  tell  us  the  cause  of  his 
alarm.  With  us  as  excited  listeners,  he  then  gave  a 
story,  of  which  the  following  is  the  substance  : 

He  arrived  at  the  camp  late  in  the  forenoon,  and,' 
finding  we  had  left  for  the  cave,  followed  on  at  once. 
Burdened  with  his  load  and  the  care  of  the  dogs,  he 
was  obliged  to  travel  slowly,  and  it  was  dark  long  be- 
fore he  left  the  high-woods  belt  and  struck  the  upper 
trail.  He  was  not  afraid,  however,  as  the  dogs  gave 
him  company,  and  he  walked  cheerily  on,  until  a  low 


148  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

growl  from  one  of  his  canine  companions  caused  him 
to  look  around.  Then  he  saw,  creeping  stealthily 
through  the  low  trees  on  his  left,  a  figure  which  to 
his  excited  imagination  seemed  clothed  in  shining 
white.  He  was  so  terribly  frightened,  that,  notwith- 
standing his  heavy  load,  he  darted  forward  over  the 
rocks  at  a  rapid  pace.  The  rattling  of  the  stones  set 
^adrift  by  his  feet,  as  they  bounded  down  the  steep 
mountain-side,  impressed  him  the  more  that  the  spirit 
was  pursuing  him,  and  he  ran  with  all  his  might. 
The  flambeau  that  IMeyong  had  prepared  to  guide 
him  was  now  but  a  flickering  brand,  and  he  did  not 
see  it  until  close  upon  it.  By  its  presence,  however, 
he  was  enabled  more  easily  to  find  the  cave,  in  the 
mouth  of  which  he  stood  as  before  described. 

He  had  barely  finished  this  recital  when  a  loud  ex- 
clamation from  Meyong  caused  me  to  look  up,  and  I 
saw  in  the  place  so  lately  occupied  by  Coryet  another 
apparition.  This  time  it  was  surely  the  ghost.  He 
was  not  clad  in  white,  however,  but  in  tattered  gar- 
ments of  skin,  and  his  long  hands  grasped  the  top  of 
a  staff  such  as  no  spirit  could  wield,  assuredly.  As 
soon  as  we  had  recovered  from  our  surprise  I  sprang 
forward  and  aided  this  tottering  figure  to  the  fire.  It 
was  an  old  man,  a  very  old  Indian,  who,  if  he  could 
speak,  I  thought,  might  be  able  to  tell  us  of  the  cap- 
ture of  that  fair  lady  who  was  imprisoned  here  so 
many  years  ago.  He  uttered  no  word,  made  no  sign  ; 
but  we  did  not  need  either  to  inform  us  that  he  was 
starving  and  perishing.  Again  the  rum  was  brought 
into  requisition,  again  did  my  faithful  Meyong  bring 
forth  from  tlie  ashes  the  tender  crabs  for  our  unex- 
pected guest. 


A    MIDNIGHT    MARCH.  1 49 

Without  a  doubt,  this  was  the  jumbie  that  had  given 
both  Coryet  and  myself  such  a  fright.  This  harmless, 
pitiful  old  man,  who  had  approached  us  in  the  dire 
extremity  of  want,  had  nearly  perished  through  being 
taken  for  a  visitor  from  the  spirit-world,  which  he 
manifestly  so  soon  would  reach.  This  assurance  was 
not  necessary  to  induce  my  boys  to  tenderly  care  for 
him,  and  we  soon  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the 
poor  creature  resting  on  the  ground  in  peaceful  slum-^ 
ber.  After  this  event  nothincr  occurred  to  disturb  our 
rest,  and  we  all  slept  well,  the  spirit  laid  that  had 
alarmed  us  ;  and  not  one  of  those  to  whom  this  cave 
belonged  in  olden  time  did  trouble  us. 

We  stayed  there  all  the  succeeding  day,  and  renewed 
our  search,  though  unsuccessfully,  for  the  Diablotin. 
Our  guest  slept  till  nearly  noon,  but  when  he  awoke 
he  seemed  greatly  refreshed,  and  strove  to  make  us 
sensible  of  his  gratitude.  The  words  he  uttered  were 
those  of  an  unknown  tongue,  but  we  knew  that  he 
fain  would  express  his  thanks,  and  tried  to  assure 
him  that  we  understood  him. 

It  was  finally  concluded  between  Coryet  and  Me- 
yong  that  this  old  man  was  a  crazy  chief,  who,  refusing 
to  submit  to  English  rule,  had  fled  to  the  mountains 
more  than  fifty  years  ago,  whence  he  sometimes  vis- 
ited the  Indians  of  the  coast  by  stealth.  For  several 
years  he  had  not  been  seen,  and  it  was  thought  that 
he  was  dead.  He  had  been  insane  for  many  years. 
Towards  night  he  became  restless,  and  late  in  the 
evening  he  insisted  upon  going  outside.  Finally,  his 
desire  to  depart  grew  so  strong,  and  his  gestures  to 
us  to  follow  so  violent,  that,  after  consultation,  my 
boys  were  convinced  that  it  would  be  best  to  follow 


150  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

him.  The  night  was  dark,  as  the  moon  had  not  then 
risen,  but  it  was  clear.  When  the  old  man  learned 
that  we  were  willing  to  accompany  him  he  seemed 
content;  but  whether  joy  or  sadness  overspread  his 
features,  it  was  all  one  with  the  expression  of  them, 
so  sunken  and  wrinkled  were  they.  The  boys  pre- 
pared torches  and  collected  our  luggage,  and  then  we 
started  off.  The  old  Indian  struck  a  brisker  gait  than 
.we  had  supposed  him  capable  of,  and  we  followed  by 
the  light  of  the  torches. 

There  is  a  weird  solemnity  about  a  night  march  in 
a  great  forest.  On  either  side  of  you  is  a  wall  of  inky 
blackness  ;  before,  behind,  the  same  enclosing  gloom, 
against  which  the  torches  send  a  feeble  glare.  By 
the  time  we  had  reached  the  high  woods,  where  the 
trees  were  completely  enveloped  in  masses  of  vines, 
our  surroundings  assumed  an  aspect  wild  and  terrible. 
That  hanging  liane,  twisted  and  contorted,  took  the 
shape  of  a  serpent  ready  to  dart  at  us  as  we  passed. 
The  flickering  play  of  the  light  upon  the  leaves  of 
trees  and  parasites,  alternately  bringing  to  view  and 
leaving  in  shade  strange  forms,  gave  to  everything  a 
starllingly  living  appearance.  It  was  as  if  all  had 
been  changed  into  animated  beings,  especially  nox- 
ious insects,  like  scorpions  and  spiders,  which,  one 
and  all,  seemed  crawling  in  our  direction. 

At  last  we  came  into  a  more  open  forest,  a  densely 
wooded  plateau,  the  home  of  the  wild  hog  and  the 
resort  of  runaway  slaves  in  olden  time.  Very  few, 
even  of  the  hunters,  visited  these  dark  woods  we  were 
now  traversing.  We  penetrated  the  dense  shade,  fol- 
lowing now  our  guide,  for  the  boys  were  wholly  at 
loss.     Suddenly  there  boomed  through  the  forest  a 


A    MIDNIGHT    MARCH.  151 

thunderous  sound  that  waked  the  echoes  of  the  entire 
region,  accompanied  by  a  shock  as  of  a  sHght  earth- 
quake ;  then  all  was  still  as  death.  Startled,  I  seized 
Meyong  by  the  arm,  and  inquired  the  cause  of  that 
noise.  He  replied,  with  a  shrug,  that  it  was  "a  tree 
felled  by  God,"  and  crossed  himself  devoutly. 

A  tree  felled  by  God  !  A  monarch  old  and  weather- 
beaten,  that  had  outlived  centuries  of  storm  and  hurri- 
cane, only  to  fall  in  the  dead  of  night,  when  the  breeze 
stirring  would  not  have  wakened  a  bird  !  Is  there  not 
something  grandly  awful  in  this  ?  —  something  that 
causes  a  thrill  of  awe  and  makes  one  regard  with 
veneration  the  great  Being  who  created  all  these  won- 
ders, which  are  to  us  so  great,  to  Him  so  small?  It 
fell  so  close  that,  as  it  went  crashing  through  the  trees 
with  the  force  of  a  thunderbolt,  the  wind  created  by 
its  fall  fanned  our  torches  into  brighter  blaze. 

With  indignant  and  frightened  howls  our  curs  broke 
away  from  Coryet  and  disappeared  in  the  darkness, 
carrying  with  them  our  hopes  of  capturing  the  wild 
hogs  of  the  forest.  Scarcely  had  I  recovered  from 
this  shock  when  there  came  borne  upon  the  still  night 
air,  the  faint  puffing  of  steam,  like  the  sobs  of  an  en- 
gine in  from  a  long  run.  It  grew  louder  and  louder 
as  we  advanced ;  and  as  neither  of  my  boys  knew  the 
cause  of  it,  and  the  old  man  spoke  nothing  but  Carib, 
to  us  as  Hebrew,  we  were  forced  to  march  on  in  igno- 
rance, myself  in  doubt,  the  boys  in  trepidation,  mut- 
tering prayers  to  the  Virgin.  At  last  our  guide  halted 
right  on  the  banks  of  a  deep  ravine  and  threw  a  great 
stone  into  the  depths  below  us,  from  which  howled 
and  sputtered  escaping  steam.  Immediately  upon  the 
throwinci;  of  the  stone  there  was  an  increased  force 


152  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

given  to  the  noise,  as  though  it  had  struck  in  a  small 
pipe  and  been  forcibly  ejected.  The  noise  then  for  a 
moment  ceased,  and  the  old  man  beckoned  us  to  fol- 
low quickly,  as  he  plunged  into  the  ravine  and  scram- 
bled over  great  rocks  and  across  a  roaring  brook. 

It  was  long  after  midnight  when  he  finally  stopped 
at  the  side  of  a  great  rock,  against  which  was  built  a 
low  cabin,  the  sides  of  logs,  the  roof  of  thatch.  To 
gain  entrance  we  were  obliged  to  penetrate  a  deep 
thicket  of  low  trees  which  completely  screened  it.  As 
the  light  from  the  torches  revealed  the  ding}'  interior, 
I  involuntarily  shrank  back  and  thought  wistfully  of 
the  comfortable  cave  we  had  so  lately  left.  Resigning 
myself  to  the  bed  made  for  me,  I  was  soon  wrapped 
in  slumber. 

The  old  man,  who  had  disappeared,  re-appeared  in 
the  morning  with  a  good  repast, — yams,  iguana,  and 
land  crabs  —  but  all  boiled.  This  circumstance,  to- 
gether with  the  absence  of  fire,  led  me  to  investigate 
his  cuisine ;  and,  if  the  reader  has  not  already  antici- 
pated it,  I  can  tell  how  this  poor  Carib  utilized  the 
forces  of  nature  and  made  them  do  his  bidding.  Fol- 
lowing him  to  the  ravine,  I  saw,  in  a  small  opening 
in  the  ground  whence  issued  puffs  of  steam  accom- 
panied by  loud  reports,  the  source  of  all  the  noises 
of  the  preceding  night.  Near  this  steam-escape  was 
another  hole  whence  the  water  bubbled  up  and  over, 
flowing  off  in  a  hot  stream.  Into  this  boiling  spring 
my  friend  lowered  a  tannier-root  fastened  at  the  end 
of  a  lialine.  The  tannier  is,  when  boiled,  of  greater 
consistency  than  a  potato,  else  he  would  have  lost  his 
breakfast.  In  a  few  minutes  the  vegetable  was  com- 
pletely cooked,  and  he  drew  it  out.     Meat  he  lowered 


A   MIDNIGHT     MARCH.  153 

down  in  small  baskets  made  of  tough  roots.  A  small 
cold  stream  flowed  near  by  ;  and  thus  this  rich-poor 
man  had,  with  the  game  of  the  forest,  everything  he 
wanted  right  at  hand. 

Returning  to  the  cabin,  my  attention  was  called  to 
the  logs  of  which  its  walls  were  built.  They  were 
solid  rosewood,  which  once  grew  wild  in  these  for- 
ests. Could  they  have  been  transported  to  the  coast, 
they  would  have  brought  a  good  price.  The  cabin  was 
one  of  those  built  by  some  of  the  Maroons,  or  runaway 
slaves,  some  forty  years  ago,  when  they  escaped  to 
the  mountains  and  formed  so  formidable  a  body  that 
troops  were  required  several  years  to  capture  and 
subdue  them.  The  space  we  were  in  was  shaped 
like  the  bottom  of  a  shallow  bowl,  surrounded  by  high 
hills,  the  dry  crater,  probably,  of  an  extinct  volcano. 
There  were  many  evidences  of  the  residence  of  the 
runaways,  in  dismantled  cabins,  and  gardens,  and 
fruit-trees.  It  is  thought  that  the  wild  hogs  roaming 
about  the  surrounding  hills  were  from  their  stock. 

We  were  much  puzzled  to  account  for  the  mys- 
terious visits  the  old  man  paid  now  and  then  to  a 
gloomy  gorge,  into  which  he  would  not  allow  us  to 
penetrate.  My  boys  related  the  story,  prevalent  some 
ten  years  previously,  that  the  old  man  had  a  lovely 
grand-daughter,  onl}-  survivor  of  the  famil}^  he  took 
with  him  to  the  woods.  They  thought  she  must  be, 
at  the  present  time,  about  thirty  years  old  ;  and  they 
described  her  as  being  as  beautiful  as  the  old  man 
was  ugly,  which  was  saying  a  good  deal.  But  we 
did  not  at  that  time  see  this  fair  Carib,  nor  did  we 
even  obtain  conclusive  proof  of  her  existence.  There 
was,  however,  much  in  the  old  man's  behavior  that 


154  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

gave  us  the  impression  that  he  had  a  hidden  treasure 
near  of  some  kind  ;  he  seemed  as  anxious  to  get  rid  of 
us  as  before  he  had  been  to  have  us  come  with  him. 

When  the  old  Indian  visited  the  gorge  again, Coryet 
was  on  his  track,  at  a  distance  not  to  be  observed,  yet 
near  enough  to  note  his  movements.  He  followed  the 
bed  of  the  stream  running  through  the  hot-spring 
basin  until  it  was  narrowed  to  a  rivulet  flowing  between 
high  converging  walls  of  rock.  A  narrow  ledge, 
sometimes  in,  sometimes  above  the  water,  afforded  a 
pathway  through,  after  following  which  for  a  few 
hundred  feet,  the  old  Indian  disappeared  in  an  open- 
ing in  the  rock.  It  was  just  wide  enough  for  Coryet 
to  squeeze  through,  but  soon  opened  into  a  wide 
chamber-like  passage  so  dark  that  the  boy  was  terri- 
fied and  soon  beat  a  retreat.  He  could  hear  his 
guide,  however,  as  he  scrambled  over  loose  rocks 
and  stones,  penetrating  deeper  and  deeper  into  the 
cavern.  He  lighted  a  match  and  examined  the  rock, 
but  discovered  nothing  save  that  it  seemed  veined  with 
sparkling  metal.  He  brought  me  a  fragment  contain- 
ing this  ore,  but  whether  it  was  gold  or  pyrites  I  could 
not  tell  at  the  time.  I  tried  to  save  it  for  examination 
when  I  reached  home,  but  it  was  lost.  Whether  the 
old  man  took  the  alarm  or  not  we  could  not  tell,  but 
he  did  not  appear  at  all  that  day. 

In  the  afternoon  Meyong  came  in  with  a  snake, 
a  species  of  boa,  and  the  only  one  peculiar  to  this 
island.  He  called  it  a  "Serpent  tete  ckien"  or  Dog- 
head  snake.  It  was  twelve  feet  in  length  and  looked 
capable  of  crushing  a  sheep  to  death  —  as  indeed  I 
was  told  it  could.  The  little  inoffensive  agouti  and 
birds  are  its  prey,  and  it  lives  in  holes  in  the  earth  and 


A    MIDNIGHT     MARCH.  155 

beneath  loose  piles  of  stones.  It  is  a  terror  to  the 
negroes  and  Indians,  who  fear  contact  with  its  shmy 
skin  more  than  they  dread  the  Lance-head,  a  poison- 
ous and  deadly  serpent  of  Martinique.  Fortunately, 
though  rather  abundant  in  the  forests,  they  do  not 
willfully  attack  man,  and  seldom  do  harm  more  than 
to  pay  occasional  visits  to  the  hen-roosts  of  sequestered 
settlements. 

This  must  be  the  serpent  of  which  the  Caribs  had  a 
tradition,  two  centuries  ago,  when  the  island  was  in 
their  possession,  and  white  men  rarely  visited  it  except 
as  prisoners.  But  when  a  white  man  did  visit  them 
he  was  joyfully  received,  and  a  feast  was  prepared, 
of  which,  though  in  his  honor,  he  did  not  partake,  but 
only  for})icd  a  -part  of  it.  They  used  to  relate  to 
strangers  the  story  of  a  great  and  frightful  serpent, 
which  had  its  lair  in  the  deep  forests  of  the  island. 
It  had  upon  its  head  a  brilliant  stone,  like  a  priceless 
carbuncle  for  brilliancy,  which  was  usually  covered 
with  a  movable  skin  like  the  eyelid.  When  it  de- 
scended to  the  streams  to  drink,  or  when  in  sportive 
mood,  it  would  withdraw  this  skin  and  flash  forth  such 
a  dazzling  light  that  no  one  could  look  upon  the  fiery 
rays  without  losing  his  sight. 

The  day  passed  quietly  and  the  night  came  on.  The 
old  Indian  did  not  return,  and  we  did  not  expect  to 
see  him  again,  and  decided  that  we  would  make  an 
early  start  next  morning  for  our  sea-coast  camp.  A 
fresh  bed  of  leaves  was  made  up,  and  we  retired  early 
within  the  cabin  with  rosewood  walls.  When  it  was 
quite  late  and  very  dark,  I  was  awakened  by  a  rustling 
among  the  leaves  as  of  objects  crawling  over  them.  I 
put  out  my  hand  to  ascertain  what  was  there,  but  drew 


156  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

it  back  with  a  tremor  of  horror.  It  had  come  in  contact 
with  the  biggest  bug  in  the  world.  Its  back  seemed 
hard  as  iron,  and  its  mandibles  were  as  long  as  my 
fingers.  I  had  always  boasted  my  immunity  from  bed- 
bugs, and  that  the  greatest  army  of  them  could  not 
make  me  afraid.  But  now  they  were  coming  to  con- 
vince me  of  my  mistake.  I  could  hear  them  burrowing 
through  the  leaves,  could  feel  them  crawHng  over  me, 
and,  unable  to  endure  it  longer,  sprang  up  with  a  cry 
and  rushed  out  into  the  open  air.  The  perspiration 
rolled  off  me,  and  my  hands  twitched  nervously,  for  I 
was  pretty  thoroughly  frightened.  At  my  command, 
my  boys  lighted  a  torch  and  examined  the  leaves  ;  and 
when  they  drew  out  three  huge  beetles  almost  as  large 
as  my  hand,  and  I  stood  regarding  them  with  horror, 
they  burst  into  fits  of  laughter. 

"Ah!  Monsieur  very  fear,  he  'fraid  jumbie,  he 
Yraid  razor-grinder." 

"What  do  you  call  them?" 

"  Person  say  he  '  razor-grinder.' " 

"Does  he  grind  razors?" 

"Oh,  no  !  mais  he  make  noise  like  he  make  to  grind." 

*'  Hark  zat  noise  !  "  said  Meyong,  raising  his  hand  to 
command  silence.  Through  the  forest  came  a  sharp, 
whizzing  sound,  like  that  produced  by  the  wheel  of 
the  perambulating  razor  and  knife  grinder. 

"Zat  make  by  heself." 

"How  does  he  make  it?" 

His  answer  was  to  this  effect :  The  beetle  is  pro- 
vided with  two  long  mandibles,  articulating  like  the 
thumb  and  forefinger,  placed  immediately  above  the 
mouth.  They  are  smooth  and  hard,  and  furnished 
with  protuberances,  or  notched,  while  the  upper  man- 


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158  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

dible  is  lined  on  its  under  surface  with  velvety  hairs. 
The  beetle  would  seize  hold  of  a  small  branch  of  a 
tree,  exactly  as  we  would  grasp  it  between  the  thumb 
and  forefinger.  Then  it  would,  with  its  wings,  whirl 
itself  round  and  round,  slowly  at  first,  but  increasing, 
so  rapidly  as  to  produce  a  continuous  buzz  or  whir. 
This  it  would  keep  up  until  the  limb  was  severed. 

The  reason  for  this  I  could  not  find  out.  The  beetle 
lives  on  rotten  wood,  it  is  thought,  and  in  cutting 
into  these  branches  it  may  be  in  search  of  food.  But 
the  most  plausible  reason  is,  that  it  is  calling  its  mate. 
This  is  strengthened  by  the  fact  that  the  females  are 
not  furnished  with  these  mandibles.  It  flies  high  in 
the  air  among  the  trees  at  night ;  it  burrows  in  the 
ground,  beneath  leaves  and  in  decayed  wood,  in  the 
daytime.  Being  strictly  nocturnal  in  its  habits,  it  is 
seldom  found,  unless,  as  in  the  present  instance,  it 
goes  in  search  of  the  collector. 

It  is  the  largest  known  beetle  in  the  world,  the 
specimen  in  my  possession  being  six  and  one  quarter 
inches  in  length.  The  only  species  approaching  it  in 
size  is  the  Goliath-beetle  of  the  African  coast,  which 
is  broader  than  this,  but  not  so  long.  Guiana  is  the 
home  of  this  beetle,  and  he  has  never  been  found  out 
of  South  America  except  in  this  one  island  of  Do- 
minica. Well  is  he  called  the  Hercules,  for  that 
is  his  name,  Dynastcs  Hercules  \  and  modestly  he 
bears  his  title,  for  he  does  not  presume  upon  his  size 
and  strength  to  annoy  man  or  ill-treat  his  insect  neigh- 
bors. He  is  a  strict  vegetarian,  and  leads  a  happy, 
careless  life  among  the  tree-tops  at  night,  and  upon 
the  ground  during  the  day. 

The  only  specimen  I  was    able  to  bring  with  me 


A    MIDNIGHT     MARCH.  I59 

to  America  was  a  full-grown  male.  The  proboscis 
and  whole  forward  part  are  jet-black,  the  legs  and 
under  parts  rich  brown,  the  wing-cases,  which  cover 
the  back  and  sides,  greenish-olive  dotted  and  streaked 
with  black.  It  is  altogether  one  of  the  most  attractive 
entomological  specimens  I  secured  during  my  trip. 

Further  search  among  the  leaves  revealed  several 
centipedes,  which  were  more  to  be  dreaded  than  the 
beetles,  as  their  bites  will  throw  one  into  a  fever.  A 
scorpion,  also,  was  turned  out  from  his  lurking-place 
beneath  a  log.  Both  these  pests  prefer  old  dwellings 
and  decaying  ruins  for  their  abodes,  and  though  not 
so  abundant  in  Dominica  as  in  Martinique  and  St. 
Lucia,  are  often  the  cause  of  alarm,  and  sometimes 
of  sickness,  to  the  inhabitants.  Their  bites  rarely 
prove  fatal. 

To  escape  annoyance  from  these  insects,  I  always, 
when  practicable,  slept  in  my  hammock ;  they  did 
not  then  have  so  open  a  field,  and  I  only  ran  the 
risk  of  having  one  drop  from  the  roof  or  a  branch 
above  me. 

Owing  to  the  disturbance  just  mentioned,  we  were 
up  long  before  daylight,  and  started  on  the  homeward 
trail  before  the  woods  were  fairly  alight.  The  "  Sun- 
set bird"  (^MyiarcJnis  Obcri)  sent  his  tremulous  cry 
through  the  forest,  as  we  turned  our  backs  upon  the 
boiling  springs  and  commenced  descending  a  gentle 
plain  well  studded  with  trees.  We  had  probably  seen 
the  last  of  our  Indian  friend,  and  though  we  felt  rather 
conscience-stricken  at  leaving  him  without  a  farewell, 
we  reflected  that  his  seclusion  was  of  his  own 
seeking. 

Our  yams  and  tanniers  were  quite  finished,  and  we 


l6o  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

were  obliged  to  use  as  substitute  the  seeds  of  a  species 
of  palm,  a  tall  and  slender  tree  with  drooping  leaves. 
It  is  a  species  not  yet  described,  I  think,  and  is  either 
dicocos  or  2igeonoma.  The  seeds  are  dark  and  shining, 
and  grow  in  clusters  at  the  bases  of  the  leaf-stalks. 
They  are  edible,  and  constitute  an  important  portion 
of  the  food  of  the  forest  Caribs. 

A  beautiful  plant,  which  nearly  covered  the  trees 
along  the  streams,  was  the  Hillia  longifolia ;  it  had 
white,  star-shaped  flowers,  and  glossy  laurel-like 
leaves.  Every  old  stump  and  decaying  tree  was 
covered  with  a  fuchsia-like  plant  with  lovely  pink  and 
scarlet  flowers,  the  Alloplcctus  cristalus,  which  en- 
veloped every  disfigured  tree  in  a  garment  of  beauty. 

We  reached  without  adventure  the  great  river,  and 
followed  it  down  to  its  mouth,  where  was  an  abandoned 
plantation  in  the  possession  of  negroes.  A  dilapidated 
hut  was  pointed  out  to  me  as  being  occupied  by  a 
famous  sorceress,  a  priestess  of  Ohcah^  who  could 
give  one  a  charm' that  would  kill  one's  enemy,  or  cause 
a  robber  to  restore  stolen  property.  Her  fame  extended 
beyond  the  confines  of  the  island,  and  she  was  visited 
by  many  credulous  negroes  from  other  places. 

Obcah,  a  relic  of  African  witchcraft,  has  strong 
hold  upon  the  ignorant  blacks  and  Indians.  Salibia, 
the  valley  in  which  I  camped  for  more  than  a  month, 
was  once  the  strongiiold  of  the  priests  of  Obeah.  For 
years  they  held  sway  there,  and  many  people  are 
supposed  to  have  been  killed  by  their  poisons.  The 
laws  of  the  English  government  are  severe  in  its 
punishment,  but  it  is  practiced  to  a  greater  extent  than 
is  generally  known. 

It  was  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  when  we  reached 


A   MIDNIGHT     MARCH.  l6l 

the  fording-place ;  the  heat  had  been  increasing  since 
ten  in  the  morning,  when  first  we  were  brought  to  feel 
its  force.  Having  eaten  httle  that  day,  I  was  weak  at 
noon,  and  experienced  violent  pains  in  the  head.  On 
the  river  bank  I  halted  and  would  gladly  have  slept, 
but  my  boys  urged  me  on.  The  water  was  only  about 
knee-deep,  and  I  waded  in ;  half-way  across,  the 
current  nearly  swept  me  off  my  feet,  and  I  grew  faint 
and  dizzy,  and  had  barely  reached  the  bank  when  I 
fell  to  the  ground. 

Beneath  a  guava  bush  my  boys  stretched  me  out 
and  watched  while  I  slept ;  and  at  dark  they  awoke 
me  and  assisted  me  to  a  house.  Here  the  kind  mistress 
attended  me  for  nearly  a  week,  until  the  tever  had 
somewhat  abated,  when,  leaving  my  collections  and 
camping  equipments  to  be  forwarded  by  Meyong, 
I  took  a  coasting  vessel  from  a  near  port  for  the 
Caribbean  coast. 
II 


1 62  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

A   CRUISE    IN   THE   HURRICANE   SEASON. 

AK  EXPERIMENT  IN  COFFEE  CULTURE.  — THE  PEST  OF  THE 
COFFEE  PLANT.  —  LIBERIAN  COFFEE  VERSUS  MOCHA.  —  AN 
AFRICAN  DISEASE.  —  GATHERING  IN  THE  SICK.  —  DOWN  THE 
CARIBBEAN  COAST.  —  THE  FLAME-TREE. — THE  ORCHARD  OF 
LIMES.  —  PROFITS   OF   LIME   CULTURE.  —  THE   MAROON  PARTY. 

—  THE  STAMPEDE.  —  FAREWELL  TO  DOMINICA. — CORAL  IS- 
LANDS.—  AN  IMMENSE  GAME  PRESERVE.  —  THE  "DOCTOR."  — 
THE  JIGGERS.  —  NEW  BIRDS. — A  WEARY  VOYAGE. — SEASONS 
OF  THE  TROPICS.  —  TEMPESTS. — CALMS.  —  PROVISIONS  EX- 
HAUSTED. —  TURKEY  OR  JACKASS.  —  SHARK.  —  ODORS  OF 
SPICES.  —  THE  TORNADO.  —  HURRICANE  BIRDS.  —  PITONS  OF 
ST.  LUCIA. —  ST.  VINCENT.  —  PALM  AVENUE.  —  THE  SPA.  — 
HOSPITABLE    PEOPLE.  —  BASALTIC  CLIFFS.  —  RICHMOND  VALE. 

—  FALLS  OF  BALLEINE.  —  THE  WATERSPOUT. 

A  MILE  from  the  town  of  Roseau  are  the  cliffs 
of  St.  Aramant,  above  which  is  the  snug  little 
country  seat  of  Dr.  Imray,  one  of  the  oldest  resi- 
dents of  Dominica.  A  friend  and  correspondent  of 
Sir  Joseph  Hooker,  he  is  an  ardent  botanist,  and  has 
several  of  the  native  plants  named  in  his  honor.  For 
a  generation,  the  good  doctor  ministered  to  the  sick 
and  afflicted  ;  for  more  than  thirty  years  he  was  the 
leading  physician  of  the  island.  At  last,  feeling  the 
need  of  rest,  well  advanced  in  years,  though  in  robust 
health,  he  delegated  his  authority  and  practice,  with 


THE    HURRICANE    SEASON.  163 

all  needful  pills  and  potions,  to  a  most  worthy  suc- 
cessor. Dr.  Nicholls,  a  young  Englishman,  full  of 
love  for  his  profession  and  energy  in  the  practice  of 
its  duties,  and  with  the  aged  doctor's  botanical  pre- 
dilections. These  two  gentlemen,  then,  active  in 
everything  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  the  island, 
cultured  and  with  scientific  tastes,  are  of  inestimable 
value  to  the  inhabitants,  and  a  blessing  to  strangers. 

Dr.  Imrayis  devoting  all  his  time  to  the  reintroduc- 
tion  of  coffee  into  the  island.  Years  ago  it  was  cul- 
tivated to  such  an  extent  that  it  acquired  a  name  and 
reputation  ;  in  tlie  latter  part  of  the  last  century  there 
were  over  two  hundred  coffee  plantations,  giving  an 
annual  yield  of  three  hundred  thousand  pounds  -,  but 
with  the  abolition  of  slavery  its  culture  languished, 
valuable  cofTee  estates  were  abandoned,  and  at  pres- 
ent the  island  does  not  produce  sufficient  for  its 
own  consumption.  About  forty  years  ago  there 
appeared  a  blight  upon  the  cofTee-plant  that  ruined 
whole  crops  and  aided  in  the  abandonment  of  its 
culture.  This  was  in  the  shape  of  a  coccus,  a  scale 
insect  that  fixed  itself  upon  the  leaves  and  buds, 
causing  them  to  shrivel.  This  undoubtedly  came  of 
neglect,  and  increased  until  it  acquired  the  mastery 
over  the  entire  island.  In  Guadeloupe  they  have  the 
scale  insect,  but  it  has  never  gained  ascendency  over 
the  planters,  as  more  attention  has  been  paid  to  the 
trees.  Acting  upon  the  theory  that  the  leaf  of  the 
Mocha  variety  was  too  tender  to  resist  the  attacks  of 
the  insect,  Dr.  Imray  has  successfully  introduced  the 
Liberian  variety,  the  epidermis  of  the  leaves  being 
thicker  and  tougher.  At  the  time  of  my  visit  he  had 
a  little  plantation  of  trees  about  three  years  old,  some 
of  which  were  in  flower  and  bearing. 


164  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

Upon  my  return  to  Roseau  I  was  suffering  from  a 
low  fever  that  would  not  be  shaken  off;  and  upon  the 
advice  of  the  two  doctors  I  decided  to  rest  for  a  month, 
either  in  the  mountains  or  at  some  point  on  the  west- 
ern shore.  The  young  doctor  was  going  down  the 
island  to  visit  a  distant  town,  and  it  was  decided  by 
my  friends  that  I  should  occupy  a  seat  in  his  boat 
until  he  reached  Battalie,  Dr.  Imray's  lime  orchard 
on  the  Caribbean  coast. 

Aside  from  a  large  and  constantly  increasing  prac- 
tice, Dr.  Nicholls  was  burdened  with  the  duty,  al- 
most self-imposed,  of  medical  superintendent  of  the 
Yaws  hospital.  The  name  yazas,  or  yazv,  is  of  Afri- 
can origin,  and  is  said  to  be  derived  from  the  resem- 
blance of  the  fungoid  ulcers  or  tumors,  which  cover  the 
skin  in  this  disease,  to  a  raspberry,  or  strawberry,  of 
which  r«^  is  the  native  African  name.  To  present 
a  description  of  this  disease,  unknown  in  America 
and  Europe,  I  quote  from  the  doctor's  annual  report 
for  1878. 

"The  disease  Frambesia,  or  Yaws,  w^as  introduced 
into  the  West  Indies  by  negro  slaves  imported  from 
Africa.  The  date  of  its  ingress  into  Dominica  is  un- 
known, but  it  existed  in  the  island  early  in  the  present 
century.  It  did  not,  however,  make  any  great  head- 
way before  emancipation,  for  each  estate  of  consider- 
able size  had  its  '  Yaws-house,'  and  the  infected 
patients  were  there  segregated  and  treated  by  a  nurse, 
under  the  direction  of  a  medical  attendant.  Upon  the 
abolition  of  slavery,  and  the  consequent  impoverish- 
ment of  many  estates  and  the  total  abandonment  of 
others,  the  medical  surveillance  of  the  negroes  came 
to  an  end,  and  the  number  of  persons  affected  with 


THE    HURRICANE    SEASON.  165 

3'a\vs  increased  considerably.  The  rugged  conforma- 
tion of  the  country  of  Dominica,  the  smallness  of  the 
population  as  compared  with  the  area,  tlie  facilities 
for  '  squatting,'  and  the  absence,  until  recently,  of  a 
medical  service,  all  tended  to  favor  the  spread  of  the 
disease.  About  ei^jht  years  ago  the  number  of  cases 
had  increased  to  such  an  alarming  extent  that  meas- 
ures were  taken  for  the  repression  of  the  disease. 
Hospitals  were  established,  yaws  patients  were  ad- 
mitted and  cured,  and  it  was  hoped  that  the  disease 
would  be  extinguished ;  but  the  system  adopted  was 
stopped  too  soon,  and  the  malady  reappeared  and 
spread  with  great  rapidity.  The  government,  in  a 
few  years,  had  to  grapple  with  a  contagious  disease, 
which  was  present  in  every  district  of  the  country,  and 
which  held  hundreds  of  victims  in  its  grasp. 

"Fortunately  the  disease  is  one  amenable  to  medical 
treatment,  and  the  yaws  hospitals,  now  in  full  work- 
incj  order,  are  fast  removing  the  blot  which  has  ex- 
isted  upon  the  public  health  for  so  many  3'ears.  That 
the  disease  will  be  finally  eliminated  from  Dominica 
is  disbelieved  in  by  many,  but  I  see  no  reason  why 
this  desirable  event  should  not  really  occur.  In 
former  days  the  disease  existed  in  all  the  islands  of 
the  West  Indies,  but  now  it  is  confined  to  few." 

Empowered  by  the  government  to  gather  in  and 
isolate  all  persons  found  afHicted  with  the  yaws,  un- 
dismayed b}^  opposition  from  the  ignorant  or  by  the 
accumulation  of  filth  in  these  Augean  stables,  this 
young  enthusiast  went  to  work  with  a  zeal  and  intelli- 
gence that  presaged  success,  to  eradicate  the  disease. 
Under  his  direction  the  police  of  the  island  scoured 
the  neighborhood  of  the  villages,   and   brought  into 


l66  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

the  hospitals  the  filthiest  offscourings  of  humanity. 
Of  course  there  was  much  difficulty  in  the  way,  not 
only  from  the  patients  themselves,  who  preferred 
hugging  this  living  death  and  communicating  it  to 
others,  to  separation  from  their  friends,  but  from  rabid 
philanthropists  of  the  "  Exeter-Hall  "  type,  who  saw  in 
this  an  infringement  upon  the  negro's  liberty. 

The  disease  is  engendered  and  propagated  by  a 
filthy  mode  of  living  and  insufficient  diet ;  hence,  the 
most  important  agents  in  effecting  a  cure  are  cleanli- 
ness and  good  living.  No  one  would  suppose  the 
natives  would  object  to  that,  but  they  do,  and  neglect 
no  opportunity  for  escape  from  the  hospitals ;  thus 
the  doctor's  position  is  one  of  thankless  labor  and 
vigilance. 

It  was  a  five-hours'  row  to  Prince  Rupert's,  and 
half  that  to  Battalie.  We  left  Roseau  in  a  long  dug- 
out, rowed  by  four  men  and  guided  by  a  cockswain, 
and  rapidly  glided  along  the  Caribbean  coast.  Re- 
clining beneath  an  arched  canvas,  we  could  look  out 
upon  a  svvifdy-gliding  shore,  green  sugar  plantations, 
bluff  headlands,  narrow  valleys.  Being  June,  when 
all  the  flowering  trees  are  in  bloom,  and  when  the 
fruits  are  ripe  and  ripening,  it  was  a  pleasure  to  note 
the  vegetation.  Conspicuous  above  all  foliage  was  the 
Flamboyant,  the  "  flame-tree,"  with  its  broad  umbrella- 
shaped  top,  one  mass  of  flaming  crimson.  Without 
a  leaf  at  the  beginning  of  the  season,  its  twigs  and 
branches  are  covered  with  gorgeous  flowers.  So  far 
as  you  can  distinguish  any  object  on  shore,  you  see  the 
flame-tree,  its  bright  coloring  making  it  as  prominent 
at  a  distance  as  bright-plumaged  birds,  which,  as  in 


THE    HURRICANE    SEASON.  167 

the  case  of  the  "  pink  curlew,"  I  have  recognized  when 
mere  specks  in  space. 

At  dark  we  entered  a  crescent-shaped  bay  and  ran 
the  boat  upon  a  pebbly  beach,  which  was  pierced  by 
two  rivers  as  they  entered  the  sea.  Overhanging  them 
were  cocoa  palms,  shading  them  almost  to  the  sands, 
while  sea-side  grapes  hung  above  wave-worn  rocks 
and  rounded  pebbles,  and  a  forest  of  lime-trees  filled 
a  narrow  valley  enclosed  between  high  cliffs.  The 
manager  of  the  estate  welcomed  us  with  a  good 
dinner  and  comfortable  beds  in  the  doctor's  own 
house,  which  always  remained  ready  for  his  occu- 
pancy, though  he  rarely  visited  it.  The  next  morn- 
ing we  whipped  the  streams  with  poor  success,  and 
attacked  the  sea-birds  with  scanty  returns ;  in  the 
afternoon,  my  fever  returning,  and  the  doctor  continu- 
ing his  journey,  both  fish  and  birds  had  a  rest. 

The  valley  of  Battalie  is  one  great  field  of  lime-trees 
—  a  smooth  sea  of  verdure  —  hiding  beneath  its  sur- 
face golden  fruit  that  is  constantly  dropping  to  the 
earth,  and  being  carried  to  the  stone  mill  beneath  the 
cliff.  Twenty  years  ago  Dr.  Imray  conceived  the 
plan  of  converting  a  poorly-paying  sugar  plantation 
into  an  orchard  of  limes,  and  he  thus  made  of  a  nar- 
row valley,  riven  from  gigantic  rocks  and  strewn  with 
volcanic  bowlders,  a  garden  of  profit  and  delight. 
The  majority  of  the  trees  are  fifteen  years  old ;  they 
first  bear  at  three  years  of  age,  and  yield  good  crops 
at  five  years.  Since  the  first  full  crop  he  has  re- 
alized a  large  income  from  these  trees,  his  manager 
informing  me  that  during  two  seasons  the  returns 
amounted  to  two  thousand  pounds  sterling  each. 
The   trees   are   thickly  planted   so    as   to    shade  the 


l68  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

ground,  and  after  they  acquire  their  growth  need  no 
clearing  beneath. 

A  corps  of  boys  and  girls  gather  the  limes  as  they 
fall  to  the  earth  —  they  are  never  picked  —  and  carry 
them  to  the  mill,  where  they  are  passed  between  two 
upright  rollers,  such  as  were  in  use  when  the  sugar 
cane  was  raised  there.  The  expressed  juice  is  con- 
ducted to  evaporating  pans  and  boiled  down  to  the 
consistency  of  molasses  —  to  a  density  of  one-tenth  — 
and  then  run  into  fifty-gallon  hogsheads  for  shipment 
to  England.  It  was  worth,  in  1877,  about  twenty 
pounds  sterling  per  hogsliead,  and  has  brought  thirty 
pounds ;  and  the  plantation  has  yielded  from  seventy 
to  eighty  hogsheads  in  a  season. 

The  juice  is  used  in  making  citric  acid,  and  is 
shipped  in  its  concentrated  form  to  reduce  freight.  It 
would  seem  possible  to  further  reduce  this  item  of  ex- 
pense by  the  complete  crystallization  of  the  juice. 
Such  an  experiment  has  been  tried  in  Florida,  though 
without  complete  success.  There  is  not  there  a  suffi- 
cient quantity  of  limes,  though,  from  the  experience 
of  Dr.  Imray,  it  would  seem  more  profitable  to 
raise  limes  than  oranges.  I  do  not,  however,  think 
the  lime  will  flourish  so  luxuriantly,  nor  produce  so 
much  juice,  in  Florida,  as  in  the  rich  soil  of  the 
West  Indian  islands.  The  trees  are  without  fruit 
during  two  months  only  in  the  year  —  February  and 
March  —  and  at  other  seasons  are  fragrant  with  fruit 
in  various  stages  of  growth. 

One  day,  two  or  three  weeks  after  my  arrival,  the 
priest  of  a  neighboring  village,  P(ire  Michel,  came 
over  to  the  plantation  for  a  little  recreation,  and 
gathered  some  of  the  people  together  for  a  partt'e 


THE    HURRICANE    SEASON.  169 

riviere.  By  different  names  do  the  residents  of  these 
islands  call  these  gatherings  in  the  open  air,  which 
in  other  places  are  denominated  picnics.  Fartie 
riviere^  the  French  name,  has  a  suggestiveness 
about  it  that  picnic  has  not ;  and  to  go  on  a  "  maroon 
party,"  as  they  sometimes  stj'le  it,  transports  one  in 
imagination  at  once  to  the  wild  forests. 

In  the  afternoon  we  were  all  gathered  at  the  upper 
end  of  the  valley,  beneath  a  great  mango  ;  cloths  were 
spread  on  the  ground,  and  upon  them  were  placed 
our  eatables :  roast  pig,  chickens,  and  vegetables, 
with  ale,  claret,  and  sherry.  The  pere  and  myself 
were  the  only  members  of  the  party  who  were  not,  in 
a  manner  more  or  less  remote,  connected  with  the  im- 
mortal Ham  ;  but  that  did  not  mar  our  enjoyment  of 
the  festivities.  Before  the  spread  had  been  well  dis- 
cussed, a  sudden  shower  came  down  with  fury  —  as 
showers  are  apt  to  do  in  the  summer  season  —  sus- 
pending operations  and  driving  us  to  shelter.  As  we 
were  on  the  upper  bank  of  the  river,  and  the  stepping- 
stones  were  covered  a  foot  deep  in  fifteen  minutes,  we 
were  all  obliged  to  wade  the  turbid  stream,  in  great 
discomfort. 

These  June  showers,  though  lacking  the  force  of 
those  of  the  later  months  of  the  year,  are  nevertheless 
of  frequent  occurrence.  They  warned  me  away  from 
an  island  so  mountainous,  and  but  a  week  passed  be- 
fore I  was  speeding  north  to  an  island  of  lesser  eleva- 
tion, and  consequently  less  rainfall. 

Furnished  with  letters  of  introduction  from  the  presi- 
dent of  Dominica,  Mr.  Eldredge,  I  visited  the  islands 
of  Barbuda  and  Antigua,  spending  there  two  months, 
shooting  deer,  pigeons,  doves,  and  wild  guinea-fowl. 


170  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

These  islands  are  of  coral  formation,  and  the  former 
is  a  perfect  preserve,  being  abundantly  stocked  with 
game.  Two  gentlemen  lease  it  from  the  crown, 
though  it  formerly  belonged  to  the  ancient  Codrington 
family.  Its  horses  are  celebrated  throughout  the  is- 
lands, being  descended  from  imported  Arab  stock. 

The  climate  of  Antigua  is  perceptibly  warmer  than 
that  of  the  mountainous  islands,  though  a  cool  breeze 
freshens  a  great  portion  of  the  day.  It  is  hot  in  the 
morning  from  seven  to  ten,  when  a  breeze  springs  up. 
At  noon  it  is  intensely  hot,  but  in  the  shade  the  cool 
sea-breeze  makes  it  bearable.  Another  oppressive 
spell  is  near  sunset,  before  the  evening  winds  set  in ; 
but  by  eight  o'clock  the  air  has  cooled,  and  the  nights 
are  endurable.  In  July  and  August,  when  I  was  there, 
there  were  frequent  showers  ;  rain  fell  for  an  hour  or 
two  quite  unexpectedly,  and  as  quickly  ceased.  The 
wind  blows  nearly  always  from  the  east,  and  when  it 
changes  to  the  west,  a  hurricane  may  be  expected. 

In  Antigua,  alone,  I  suffered  from  mosquitoes,  and 
was  obliged  to  protect  myself  by  a  net.  Fleas,  also, 
disturbed  my  rest  at  night ;  and  not  the  universal  flea 
only,  but  a  cousin  of  his,  which  can  "  discount "  the 
common  insect  largely.  I  allude  to  the  "jigger," 
or  chcgoc,  which,  not  content,  like  his  relative,  with 
a  hop,  skip,  and  a  bite,  penetrates  the  skin,  and  lays 
its  eggs  beneath  the  surface. 

I  awoke  one  morning  with  an  itching  of  my  toes, 
which  frequent  rubbing  failed  to  allay;  and  examina- 
tion revealed  four  white  tumors.  They  were  as  large 
as  peas,  and  in  the  center  of  each  was  a  little  black 
speck.  Ignorant  at  that  time  of  the  existence  of  such 
creatures,  I  called  my  boy,  William,  who  at  once  pro- 


THE    HURRICANE    SEASON.  171 

nounced  them  jiggers.  How  to  remove  them  was  the 
next  question.  WilHam  soon  settled  that,  for  lie  called 
in  the  first  old  negress  that  happened  to  be  passing, 
and  she  turned  those  jiggers  out  of  their  nests  with  an 
adroitness  that  showed  long  practice. 

Care  must  be  taken  that  none  of  the  eggs  remain  in 
the  wound,  as  the  larvas  hatched  from  them  burrow 
into  the  flesh,  and  eventually  create  painful  ulcers. 
The  eggs  and  insect  are  contained  in  a  sac,  which 
must  be  turned  out  with  a  pin  or  needle  with  great 
care,  and  the  .cavity  filled  with  tobacco  ashes  to  de- 
stroy apy  remaining  germ.  After  I  had  got  rid  of  my 
unwelcome  tenants,  there  was  a  hole  in  each  toe  large 
enough  to  contain  a  humming-bird's  Qgg-  This,  my 
first  experience  with  the  ^ulcx  penetrans,  was  so  satis- 
factory that  I  carefully  guarded  against  the  develop- 
ment of  any  more  eggs  of  those  loathsome  insects. 
A  few  hours  are  sufficient  to  give  the  jigger  a  hiding- 
place,  and  as  the  sensation  he  causes  is  a  rather 
pleasant  itching  only,  for  a  time,  he  is  sometimes  not 
discovered  until  a  painful  sore  is  formed.  The  ne- 
groes are  very  negligent  in  attending  to  these  sores, 
which  increase  to  such  an  extent  as  to  endanger  their 
limbs ;  negroes  with  all  their  toes  eaten  away  are 
daily  met  with,  and  I  have  seen  several  who  have  lost 
a  leg  from  this  same  cause. 

It  was  my  intention  to  visit  St.  Kitts,  with  a  view 
to  obtaining  some  specimens  of  monkeys  residing 
there,  but  an  invitation  to  an  island  in  another  direc- 
tion caused  me  to  abandon  it.  Though  St.  Kitts  may 
be  very  interesting  in  many  other  respects,  it  is  espe- 
cially so  to  a  naturalist,  as  it  contains  great  numbers 
of  monkeys,  being  one  of  three  islands  in  the  Antilles 


172  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

honored  by  these  quadrupeds  as  their  abode.  Barba- 
dos is  said  to  have  very  few,  and  Grenada  has  large 
troops  of  tliem.  Those  of  St.  Kitts  are  numerous  and 
do  much  injury  to  the  crops.  It  is  related  that  they 
have  access  to  a  passage  under  the  sea,  to  Nevis,,  a 
distance  of  six  miles. 

Before  leaving  Antigua  I  met  an  old  acquaintance, 
a  dentist,  who  had  sailed  in  the  vessel  in  which  I  took 
passage  from  New  York,  and  who  had  left  me  at  Mar- 
tinique, the  first  island  of  the  chain  at  which  we  touclied. 
Though  he  had  never  taken  a  degree,  he  was  gener- 
ally known  as  "The  Doctor."  He  was  an  apt  manip- 
ulator of  the  forceps,  and  had  accumulated,  during 
the  six  months  we  were  separated,  twenty-five  hun- 
dred dollars,  extracted  from  the  innocent  islanders. 
Now,  the  doctor  was  a  genius.  He  had  a  genius  for 
making  money,  and  a  special  tact  for  taking  care  of 
number  one.  Leaving  New  York  with  but  sixty  dol- 
lars and  his  stock  in  trade,  he  landed  in  the  West 
Indies  with  his  cash  greatly  augmented,  and  with  the 
captain,  mate,  cook,  in  fact  the  whole  crew,  deeply 
in  his  debt.  That  I  escaped  with  a  whole  tooth  in 
my  head  I  attribute  to  some  special  interposition  of 
Providence.  The  doctor's  period  of  sojourn  on  ship- 
board may  be  divided  into  two  portions  :  that  in  which 
he  was  pulling,  or  "  fixin',"  teeth,  and  that  in  which  he 
was  sea-sick.  He  was  happy  in  tlie  exercise  of  the 
former,  and  unhappy  in  that  of  the  latter.  When  the 
doctor  appears  on  deck  with  a  particularly  happy 
expression  on  his  countenance,  and  polishing  some- 
body's molar  on  the  lapel  of  his  coat,  beware  of  him  I 
The  whole  crew  would  then  shudder  with  apprehen- 
sion. 


THE    HURRICANE    SEASON. 


173 


The  doctor  and  I  went  on  shore.  We  climbed  the 
paved  streets  and  descended  again  to  the  beautiful 
yardin  dcs  Plantcs.  On  our  way  the  doctor  indulged 
in  a  free  flow  of  that  happy  humor  peculiar  to  the 
Western  Yankee  (for  we  are  all  Yankees  in  those 
islands).  We  met  boys  and  boys,  bo3-s  by  dozens  and 
boys  by  scores,  and  some  girls ;  but  the  very  first 
group  that  drew  our  attention  and  provoked  an  out- 
burst of  the  doctors 
ever-ready  wit,  con- 
sisted of  boys. 

"I  say,  young  man, 
pull  down  your  vest !" 

This  was  addressed 
to  a  racTcred  little 
darky  with  beaming 
face  and  bright  eyes, 
the  center  of  a  bunch 
of  the  most  ragged 
and  dirty  gamins  we 
ever  beheld.  Tliere 
was  not  a  whole  ar- 
ticle of  clothing  fur- 
niture among  them. 
If  one  had  a  shirt,  he 
had    no    pantaloons ; 

and  the  one  that  boasted  the  latter,  had  the  least  of 
the  former.  There  was  not  even  an  apology  for  a 
single  whole  garment  in  the  crowd,  yet  every  mem- 
ber of  it  was  as  blissfully  unconscious  of  the  gro- 
tesque appearance  he  made  as  were  the  doctor  and 
myself  aware  of  it.  But  the  most  glaringly  conspic- 
uous feature  of  the  collection  was  a  huge  vest  worn 


fi.    jjROUP    OF    pAMINS. 


174  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

by  the  brightest  and  sauciest  of  the  five  —  a  very 
grandfather  among  vests,  which,  descending  to  the 
urchin's  thighs,  left  but  a  scanty  drapery  of  shirt  vis- 
ible beneath. 

We  sailed  away  from  Antigua  one  evening,  the  doc- 
tor's store  increased  by  nearly  eight  hundred  dollars ; 
mine,  by  one  new  bird.  This  was  in  September,  the 
very  worst  month  of  the  3ear  for  travel.  Nearly  every 
craft  that  sailed  these  seas  was  drawn  up  on  shore  to 
await  the  close  of  the  "  hurricane  season  ; "  and  this 
one  in  which  we  had  taken  passage  was  on  her  way 
to  Barbados,  hoping  to  escape  a  blow  until  she  could 
make  shelter  there. 

The  "  hurricane  season  "  extends  from  the  middle 
of  July  to  the  middle  of  October,  and  is  at  its  height 
in  the  autumnal  equinox.  It  is  a  season  of  calms ; 
the  sea  is  deceitfully  quiet,  and  the  wind  variable. 
During  the  greater  part  of  the  year  the  wind  blows 
from  the  east  or  north-east  in  the  well-known  "trades  ; " 
but  at  this  season  it  dies  away,  coming  in  puffs  from 
different  quarters.  The  winds  that  precede  the  hurri- 
canes usually  commence  blowing  from  the  west  or 
north-west,  and  increase  in  strength  until  they  acquire 
that  terrific  force  that  devastates  islands  and  destroys 
in  a  few  hours  the  work  of  years.  They  shoot  through 
the  air  in  different  directions,  sometimes  from  above, 
perpendicular  to  the  earth ;  and  woe  to  the  vessel 
caught  abroad  at  such  a  time. 

In  this  connection  I  may  speak  of  the  seasons  of 
the  year,  which  are  not  so  distinctly  marked  as  is 
commonly  supposed.  The  first  three  months  of  the 
year  are  generally  fine ;  they  constitute  the  best  por- 
tion of  the  hunting  season,  when  the  woods  are  driest 


THE    HURRICANE    SEASON.  I75 

and  coolest,  and  the  birds  in  perfect  plumage.  In 
April  commence  light  showers,  which  sometimes  ex- 
tend through  June,  and  are  of  daily  occurrence.  The 
heat  increases,  and  the  months  of  August  and  Sep- 
tember are  the  hottest,  as  they  are  the  sickliest,  of 
the  year.  August  ushers  in  the  season  of  storms 
and  hurricanes,  when  the  calm  intervals  are  almost 
insupportable  on  account  of  the  heat.  The  last  three 
months  of  the  year  constitute  the  season  of  the  great 
rains,  when  for  days  together  the  rain  falls  heavily. 
These  are  the  months  for  endemic  fevers.  Though 
the  storms  are  frequently  accompanied  by  thunder 
and  lightning,  I  did  not  see,  during  my  stay  of  nearly 
two  years,  such  furious  displays  as  I  have  witnessed 
in  the  North. 

We  drifted  south  of  Antigua  without  a  breeze.  The 
morning  and  the  afternoon  saw  Antigua's  hills  not 
far  away ;  and  the  long,  hot  day  was  spent  upon 
a  motionless  sea,  without  a  breath  of  wind  to  fan 
our  flapping  sails.  At  sunset  Guadeloupe's  windward 
island  was  in  sight — a  low,  flat  land,  with  misty 
mountains  far  to  westward.  The  triple  peak  of  Mont- 
serrat  showed  black  against  a  glowing  sky ;  the  sun 
in  its  descent  drew  a  pathway  of  gold  along  the  sil- 
very sea  and  darted  into  our  faces  its  fiery  beams. 

"The  western  wave  was  all  aflame  ; 
The  day  was  well-nigh  done." 

In  heat  and  discomfort  the  day  went  out ;  but  dark- 
ness had  scarcely  enveloped  us  when  the  sea  began  to 
dimple  with  little  wavelets,  that  increased  and  lapped 
with  refreshing  sound  against  our  vessel's  sides  ;  then 
the  sails  felt  the  coming  of  the  evening  breeze,  and 


176  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

lay  well  over  to  leeward,  and  we  moved  slowly  on 
our  course.  To  avoid  being  becalmed  under  the  lee 
of  Guadeloupe,  our  captain  had  taken  the  longer  route 
to  windward,  and  we  were  now  crossing  the  pathway 
of  Columbus  when  he  first  approached  these  islands 
of  the  Caribbees.  Next  morning,  when  we  went 
"about"  for  Marie  Galante,  the  only  island  in  sight 
was  that  lone  rock  of  Desirade  —  the  "desired  island" 
of  Columbus,  when  he  was  expecting  to  discover  land. 

Our  captain  was  a  negro,  black  as  his  African  an- 
cestor and  without  a  brutish  instinct  the  less.  Plainly, 
he  had  missed  his  calling,  which  was  to  labor  in  the 
cane-fields  beneath  the  lash  of  insolence-rebuking 
overseer.  His  provisions  of  yam  and  fish  gave  out  on 
the  evening  of  the  second  day,  and  my  private  store, 
also,  failed  me.  The  only  meat  on  board  was  in 
living  shape  —  a  turkey  and  a  jackass.  That  night 
the  turkey  died,  welcoming  death  as  a  relief  from 
sore  disease.  The  jackass,  patient  for  a  day,  waxed 
wroth  as  time  passed  on  without  food  or  drink,  and 
broke  the  stillness  of  the  second  night  with  discordant 
brays. 

The  deck  was  crowded  With  sable  passengers ;  the 
"cabin"  was  filled  high  with  bags  of  coffee  and  guano 
and  sundry  boxes,  and  at  the  farther  end  was  a  stifled 
room  in  which  was  a  berth  allotted  by  the  captain  to 
me  as  a  first-class  passenger.  Late  in  the  evening  I 
worked  my  way  with  difficulty  to  the  room  to  retire. 
It  was  very  dark  and  very  evil-smelling,  and  I  reached 
my  hand  up  to  open  a  little  slide  above  the  bunk,  for 
air  and  light.  It  came  in  contact  with  something  for- 
eign, which,  upon  being  shaken,  gave  signs  of  life 
and  alarm,  and  a  woman's  voice  demanded  what  I 


THE    HURRICANE    SEASON.  177 

wanted.  Retreating  hastily,  I  inquired  of  the  captain 
if  tiierc  were  not  some  mistake,  and  he  replied  that  the 
berth  was  mine,  and  he  would  have  the  woman  re- 
moved. She  was  one  of  several,  who,  having  only 
deck  passage,  had  been  allowed  to  lie  down  in  the 
cabin  on  the  bags  of  coffee,  as  the  deck  was  damp. 
Waiting  a  little  u  hile,  I  again  went  down  ;  and  my 
anger  and  dismay  may  be  imagined  when  I  found 
another  colored  female  in  the  place  of  the  first.  Again 
I  sought  counsel  of  the  captain  ;  again  was  the  cabin 
boy  dispatched  to  warn  these  interlopers  out.  Allow- 
ing another  interval  to  elapse,  I  again  descended,  re- 
moved shoes  and  coat,  and  sprang  lightly  into  the 
bunk,  ready  to  fall  asleep  in  an  instant.  As  I  alighted, 
a  cry  of  pain  saluted  me ;  I  became  conscious  that 
another  of  those  detestable  women  had  usurped  my 
place,  and  fled  quickly  to  the  deck.  The  cabin  boy 
rtscued  my  shoes  and  coat,  and  I  sat  down  upon  a 
coil  of  rope,  resolved  to  brave  the  dangers  of  the  night- 
damp  rather  than  those  of  that  vile  hole  below. 

The  third  morning  brought  with  it  hunger,  and  a 
drink  of  black  coflee.  Later,  the  turkey,  having  had 
the  feathers  duly  plucked  from  his  bones,  was  placed 
before  us  ;  but  my  regard  for  the  turkey  was  too  great 
to  allow  me  to  eat,  and  I  drew  my  belt  the  tighter, 
and  looked  wistfully  toward  the  purple  clouds  that  I 
knew  were  mountains,  south  of  us.  The  day  passed, 
and  in  the  afternoon  the  sailors  caught  a  shark.  Hun- 
ger had  now  overcome  all  scruples,  and  I  ate  with  rel- 
ish of  the  coarse  flesh- that  at  any  other  time  would 
have  been  disgusting.  Another  night  came,  and, 
warned  by  the  experience  of  the  previous  one,  I  spread 
my  blanket  on  deck  and  slept  soundly,  though  we  had 
12 


178  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

several  heavy  squalls  that  careened  our  vessel  alarm- 
ingly. 

At  daylight  I  awoke,  dreaming  of  coffee  and  lime 
groves,  for  I  recognized  in  the  land-breeze  that  came 
to  us  the  odor  of  spices  and  the  freshness  of  earth, 
and  knew  that  we  were  under  the  lee  of  Dominica. 
We  were  off"  Prince  Rupert's  Bay  —  a  secure  harbor 
for  a  fleet  —  with  the  town  of  Prince  Rupert's,  hidden 
in  cocoa  palms,  lying  in  a  fever-stricken  valley.  We 
were  again  becalmed,  and  night  found  us  just  entering 
the  bay  of  Roseau,  with  a  sea  dashing  over  the  sea- 
wall and  jetty  too  violently  to  allow  us  to  land. 

"  We  expect  you  at  your  old  quarters,''  wrote  my 
good  friend  William  Stedman  ;  and  one  of  his  do- 
mestics shouldered  my  trunk  and  conveyed  it  to  his 
hospitable  mansion. 

What  a  delight  it  was  to  be  back  among  these  gen- 
erous people  !  Whatever  the  characteristics  of  English 
or  Scotch  at  home,  they  soon  acquire,  in  the  West 
Indies,  a  feeling  for  a  stranger  fellow-man  that  is 
wondrous  kind.  It  seemed  like  getting  home  again, 
this  return  to  Dominica  after  a  few  months'  absence, 
and  I  would  gladly  have  remained  among  my  friends 
of  the  coast ;  I  was  soon  in  the  mountains,  however, 
searching  for  some  birds  of  which  I  had  heard,  and 
was  rewarded  by  the  discovery  of  several  new  varieties. 

Returning  to  the  coast  after  ten  days'  absence,  I 
was  caught  in  a  thunder-gust,  the  rain  coming  from 
three  ways  at  once,  out  of  three  converging  gorges ; 
the  path  was  flooded  in  a  few  minutes,  and  the  river 
roaring  loudly  and  seething  like  a  caldron.  The 
storm  passed  and  hurried  on  over  the  town,  drench- 
ing it,  and  swept  out  over  the  sea,  where  it  remained 


THE    HURRICANE    SEASON.  179 

visible  a  long  time  as  a  heavy  cloud.  I  found  my 
friend  putting  up  the  "  hurricane  shutters "  to  his 
windows,  which  overlooked  the  bay  directly  above  the 
sea-wall.  The  sea  was  agitated,  and  a  dense  cloud 
of  mist  came  hurrying  up  from  the  south-west  with  a 
muffled  roar.  For  a  long  time  we  were  in  suspense  ; 
the  sun  went  down  red  and  blinking  behind  a  wall 
of  vapor.  The  storm  passed  us  without  doing  damage, 
though  later  intelligence  reached  us  that  it  had  struck 
the  island  of  Grenada  and  toppled  over  three  hundred 
houses. 

Immediately  preceding  the  hurricanes,  there  arrive 
off  the  Caribbean  coast  vast  numbers  of  birds  called, 
from  their  cries,  "Twa-oo."  They  are  said  to  be  the 
harbingers  of  hurricanes,  and  only  appear  during  the 
calms,  immediately  before  a  storm.  They  cover  the 
water  in  large  flocks,  and  come  in  from  the  desolate 
sandy  islands  where  they  breed.  They  are  the  sooty 
tern  (the  Sterna  fuliginosa~),  but  are  known  to  the 
natives  as  "  Hurricane-birds."  When  I  arrived  in 
Dominica  the  sea  was  black  with  them,  but  on  the 
morning  after  the  storm  they  had  disappeared,  to  a 
bird,  as  completely  as  though  blown  into  another 
sphere. 

Steaming  south,  past  Martinique,  and  by  the  way 
of  Barbados,  I  found  myself,  one  morning  early  in 
October,  under  the  Pitons  of  St.  Lucia,  two  pointed 
mountains  rising  out  of  the  sea,  the  most  beautiful  and 
curious  of  any  in  these  islands.  They  are  about  six 
hundred  feet  in  height,  wooded  to  their  summits,  and 
dark  green.  St.  Lucia  is  famous  as  being  the  home 
of  the  infamous  snake  known  as  the  "  Iron  Lance," — 
of  which  I  speak  more  at  length  in  my  description  of 


l8o  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

Martinique.  Poisonous  and  venomous,  it  has  yearly 
many  victims,  and  is  more  feared  than  tlie  fever, 
for  which  Castries,  St.  Lucia's  principal  town,  is 
celebrated. 

Crossing  the  channel  south  of  St.  Lucia,  we  arrived 
in  the  afternoon  off  the  northern  end  of  St.  Vincent, 
which,  from  the  steamer's  deck,  five  miles  off  shore, 
appeared  a  dream  of  an  island,  suspended  between 
sky  and  sea,  yet  solid  and  compact.  As  we  glided 
through  the  blue  waters,  and  the  afternoon  sun  fell 
upon  the  island,  we  could  view  it  from  northern  to 
southern  end,  one  block  of  hazy,  purple  cloud,  an 
immense  amethyst,  with  shades  and  depths  that  varied 
as  the  sun  lighted  up  the  yellow  plains  and  dark 
mountain-tops,  and  sought  to  penetrate  the  sombre 
valleys  and  ravines.  Behind  a  curving  beach  a  little 
town  showed  out,  with  red-tiled  roofs  gleaming  from 
beneath  thick  groves  of  palms,  through  which  a  church 
pointed  its  spire  skyward.  There  were  no  outlying 
rocks  or  islands,  no  jagged  cliffs  or  jutting  promon- 
tories, but,  springing  at  once  from  the  sea,  every  angle 
sharp  and  clear-cut,  the  island  presented  the  appear- 
ance of  a  huge,  opaque  crystal.  Though  twenty- 
five  miles  in  length,  it  appeared  so  small  that  one 
might  fancy  he  could  row  around  it  in  an  hour 
or  two. 

At  five  in  the  afternoon  we  entered  Kingston  harbor, 
a  bay  open  to  the  west  and  south-west,  deep  and  spa- 
cious enough  to  float  a  navy.  A  sandy  beach  curves 
from  headland  to  headland,  and  upon  the  northern 
promontory,  six  hundred  feet  above  the  bay,  is  perched 
a  fort  with  massive  walls,  now  used  as  a  light-house 
and  signal   station.     A  jetty  affords   a   landing-place 


ST.    VINCENT.  -  l8l 

from  the  steamer,  fronting  which  and  tlie  sea  is  the 
police  station,  a  fme,  large  building  of  stone,  the  best 
public  building  in  the  smaller  English  islands.  A 
broad  street  borders  the  bay,  and  two  more  run  parallel 
to  it  farther  back,  until  the  bordering  amphitheatre  of 
hills  prevents  further  building.  Streets  intersect  these 
at  right  angles  and  end  at  the  base  line  of  the  hills, 
save  three  or  four  which  traverse  the  valleys  to  estates 
amoncr  the  mountains,  and  two  that  ascend  the  hills 
and  extend  around  either  shore  to  windward  and  lee- 
ward. Valleys  run  up  from  the  bay  far  into  the  moun- 
tains, and  the  various  spurs  of  hills  increase  in  height 
as  they  recede  from  shore,  so  that  Kingston  and  its  bay 
are  half  encircled  by  a  range  of  hills  and  mountains, 
above  and  around  whose  summits  the  clouds  continu- 
ally play. 

The  highest  peak  is  Morne  St.  Andrews ;  rising 
to  the  east  of  it,  and  commanding  the  town,  is  a  high, 
steep  hill  known  as  Dorsetshire  Height,  crested  by  a 
ruined  fort.  When  the  Caribs,  in  the  last  century, 
had  overrun  the  island  to  windward,  they  swarmed 
upon  this  hill,  attacked  the  fort,  made  prisoners  the 
garrison,  and  were  dislodged  by  soldiers  from  the 
town  only  after  a  desperate  fight.  There  are  a  few 
old  cannon  remaining  on  the  heights,  but  dismounted 
and  imbedded  in  the  earth.  Most  of  them  were 
bought  by  an  enterprising  speculator,  during  the  late 
war  between  North  and  South,  and  sold  to  one  party 
or  the  other. 

The  sunset  view  from  here  is  superb.  Conspicuous 
are  the  palmistes,  or  cabbage  palms ;  one  house  is 
encircled  by  them,  a  white  house  with  bright  red 
roof  J  they  raise  themselves  erect  in  clumps  of  a  score 


l82  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

or  more,  in  rows  like  white  pillars  with  dark  green 
caps,  and  stand  in  relief  upon  all  the  hills.  A  mile 
from  town  is  an  avenue  of  seventy,  which,  though 
its  symmetry  is  marred  by  the  loss  of  some  by  hurri- 
canes, is  still  a  beautiful  sight. 

Three  miles  from  town,  one  mile  from  the  palm 
avenue  in  Arno's  Vale,  is  a  noted  spa  ;  from  a  hole 
six  inches  in  diameter  gushes  out  a  volume  of  water 
impregnated  with  salts  that  give  it  value  as  a  medici- 
nal drink.  It  is  equal  in  strength  and  beneficial  effects 
to  any  water  from  the  spas  of  Europe.  It  is  averred 
that  the  water  is  more  strongly  impregnated,  and  that 
the  flow  is  stronger,  on  the  coming  full  of  the  moon. 
Water  bottled  at  that  time  will  sometimes  break  the 
strongest  case. 

When  it  became  known  that  I  was  to  visit  the  far- 
ther coast,  I  was  furnished  with  letters  b}'^  proprietors 
to  the  managers  of  their  estates  in  different  portions 
of  the  island.  These  were  given  me  mainly  by  Mr. 
Porter,  part-owner  of  a  great  number  of  sugar-estates  ; 
for  the  pleasure  of  whose  acquaintance  I  was  indebted 
to  the  U.  S.  consul,  Mr.  Hughes.  So  efficient  were 
these  letters,  and  so  hospitable  were  tlie  managers  of 
the  many  estates  traversed,  that  I  made  the  complete 
circuit  of  the  island  on  borrowed  horses.  When  it  is 
considered  that  sometimes  my  excursions  were  into 
the  mountains  over  trails  so  rough  that  no  one  but  a 
West  Indian  or  South  American  would  think  of  cross- 
ing them,  and  that  I  sometimes  had  a  horse  several 
days,  the  extent  of  their  kindness  may  be  appreciated. 

The  coast  along  the  entire  western  shore  is  pictu- 
resque in  tlie  extreme,  with  volcanic  rocks  worn  into 
caves,  beautiful  bays  and  broad  valleys.     Near  Cum- 


ST.    VINCENT.  183 

berland  is  an  arched  rock  which  bears  the  appellation 
of  "  Ilafey's  Breeclies ; "  and  in  the  valley  is  a  huge 
cliff  of  columnar  basalt,  both  of  which  are  interest- 
ing^ to  view.  The  manager  of  Richmond  estate,  Mr. 
Evelyn,  received  me  kindly,  and  through  his  solicita- 
tions, and  by  the  rain  which  fell  in  torrents  every  day, 
I  was  detained  beneath  his  hospitable  roof  for  nearly 
a  week. 

In  a  small  boat  I  visited,  one  day,  the  Falls  of 
Balleine,  which  are  secluded  in  a  deep  gorge,  about 
sixty  feet  high,  and  interesting.  On  this  trip  I  was 
favored  with  a  spectacle  rarely  seen  even  in  this  land 
of  storms.  It  was  a  waterspout  which  formed  over 
against  the  Pitons  of  St.  Lucia,  —  a  bulk  of  black 
clouds  like  an  inverted  funnel,  sailinsf  beneath  denser 
masses  above.  It  swept  along  with  its  tip  trailing 
just  above  the  waves,  an  elongated,  spiral-pointed 
sack,  until  it  met  the  sea  ;  then  the  water  was  drawn 
up  to  it,  forming  a  mighty  pillar,  spreading  at  base  and 
summit,  and  joining  black  sea  with  inky  clouds.  A 
few  moments  it  remained  thus,  then  melted  away, 
leaving  only  great  banks  of  clouds,  out  of  which  came 
wind  and  rain.  Seen  across  an  angry  sea,  those 
cloud-pillars,  with  the  picturesque  Pitons  as  a  back- 
ground, were  most  impressive.  They  appeared 
at  one  time  as  if  about  to  sweep  down  upon  and 
ingulf  us. 


164  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

A   CAMP    IN    A   CRATER. 

THE  LAST  OF  THE  VOLCANOES.  — THE  SOUFRIERE  OF  ST.  VINCENT. 
—  THE  "  INVISIBLE  BIRD."  —  ASCENT5ING  THE  VOLCANO.  — THE 
"  DRV  RIVER."  —  bird's-eye  VIEW  OF  ST.  VINCENT.  —  THE  OLD 
CRATER.  —  THE  NEW  CRATER.  —  THE  LAKE  IN  THE  BOWELS  OF 
THE  EARTH.  —  IN  THE  CAVE.  —  SUNSET.  —  PREPARING  FOR 
THE  NIGHT.  —  TOBY.  —  FIVE  DAYS  AND  NIGHTS  OF  MISERY.  — 
FAUNA  OF  A  MOUNTAIN-TOP.  —  EXPLORING  THE  CRATER- 
BRIM. —  YUCCAS  AND  WILD  PINES.  —  TOBY  IN  THE  CAVE'S 
MOUTH. —  A  TERROR-STRICKEN  AFRICAN. —  JACOB'S  WELL. — 
SNAKES  AND  PITFALLS.  —  TOBY's  "STOCK."  —  THE  SOUFRIERE- 
BIRD.  —  A  MYSTERIOUS  SO.N'GSTER.  —  UNAVAILI.VG  ATTEMPTS 
TO  PROCURE  IT. —  SOUGHT  FOR  A  CENTURY.  —  A  DREAM. — 
NASAL  BLASTS.  —  SEARCHING  FOR  THE  BIRD.  —  THE  CARIB 
BIRD-CALL.  —  THE  CAPTURE.  —  A  NEW  BIRD.  —  A  PLUNGE  L\TO 
DARKNESS.  —  SCARED  BY  A  SNAKE.  —  TOBY  DESPERATE.  —  DE- 
PARTURE FOR  CARIB  COU.VTRY. 

ST.  VINCENT  contains  the  last  of  the  West  Indian 
volcanoes  from  vvliich  the  present  ct-ntury  has 
witnessed  destructive  eruptions ;  the  Soufriere,  that 
towered  above  and  overlooked  the  Richmond  planta- 
tion, having,  in  181 2,  burst  upon  the  island  with  ter- 
rible force.  Tiiis  eruption,  which  seemed  to  relieve 
a  pressure  upon  the  earth's  crust,  extending  from 
Caracas  to  the  Mississippi  Valley,  was  most  disastrous 
in  its  eflects,  having  covered  the  whole  island  with 
ashes,  cinders,  pumice,  and  scoriaj,  destroyed  many 


A    CAMP    IN    A    CRATER.  185 

lives  and  ruined  several  estates.  It  lasted  three  days, 
commencing  on  or  near  that  fatal  day,  in  1812,  when 
Caracas  was  destroyed,  and  ten  thousand  souls  per- 
ished in  a  moment  of  time.  ' 

Ashes  from  this  volcano  descended  upon  Barbados, 
ninety-five  miles  to  zvindward ;  and  tliis  fact  is  cited 
by  Elise  Reclus,  in  "The  Ocean,"  to  show  the  force 
of  different  aerial  currents  :  "'On  the  first  day  of  May, 
1812,  when  the  north-east  trade-wind  was  in  all  its 
force,  enormous  quantities  of  ashes  obscured  the 
atmosphere  above  the  island  of  Barbados,  and  covered 
the  ground  with  a  thick  layer.  One  would  have  sup- 
posed that  they  came  from  the  volcanoes  of  the  Azores, 
which  \\'ere  to  the  north-east ;  nevertheless  they  were 
cast  up  by  the  crater  in  St.  Vincent,  one  hundred  miles 
to  the  zvcst.  It  is  therefore  certain  that  the  debris  had 
been  hurled,  by  the  force  of  the  eruption,  above  the 
moving  sheet  of  the  trade-winds  into  an  aerial  river 
proceeding  in  a  contrary  direction." 

Since  that  terrible  outburst  the  volcano  has  remained 
inactive  ;   having  done  its  allotted  work,  it  rested. 

An  eye-witness  thus  describes  its  appearance  previ- 
ous to  the  eruption  :  '"  About  three  thousand  feet  above 
sea-level,  on  the  south  side  of  the  mountain,  opened 
a  circular  chasm  exceeding  half  a  mile  in  diameter, 
and  between  four  hundred  and  five  hundred  feet  in 
depth.  Exactly  in  the  center  rose  a  conical  hill  nearly 
three  hundred  feet  in  height,  and  about  two  hundred 
in  diameter,  richly  covered  and  variegated  with  shrubs, 
brushwood,  and  vines  about  half-way  up,  and  the  re- 
mainder covered  over  with  virgin  sulphur  to  the  top. 
From  the  fissures  of  the  cone  a  thin  white  smoke  was 
constantly  emitted,  occasionally  tinged  with  a  slight, 


l86  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

bluish  flame.  The  precipitous  sides  of  this  magnifi- 
cent amphitheatre  were  fringed  with  various  ever- 
greens and  aromatic  shrubs,  flowers,  and  Alpine 
plants.  On  the  north  and  south  sides  of  the  base  of 
the  cone  were  two  pieces  of  water,  one  perfectly  pure 
and  tasteless,  the  other  strongly  impregnated  with  sul- 
phur and  alum.  This  lonely  and  beautiful  spot  was 
rendered  more  enchanting  by  the  singularly  melodious 
notes  of  a  bird,  an  inhabitant  of  these  upper  solitudes, 
and  altogether  unknown  to  the  other  parts  of  the 
island — hence  called,  or  supposed  to  be,  invisible^ 
as  it  had  never  been  seen. 

"A  century  had  now  elapsed  since  the  last  convulsion 
of  the  mountain,  or  since  any  other  elements  had  dis- 
turbed the  serenity  of  this  wilderness,  besides  those 
which  are  common  to  the  tropical  tempest.  It  ap- 
parently slumbered  in  primitive  solitude  and  tran- 
quillity ;  and  from  the  luxuriant  vegetation  and  growth 
of  the  forest,  which  covered  its  sides  from  base  to  sum- 
mit, seemed  to  discountenance  the  fact  and  falsifv  the 
record  of  the  ancient  volcano." 

To  ascend  the  volcano  was  the  object  of  my  visit  to 
Riclimond,  and  also  to  procure  tiiat  famous  bird  called 
"invisible."  For  a  century,  the  people  crossing  the 
mountains  had  heard  this  bird,  for  a  century  no  one 
had  looked  upon  it.  No  one  could  affirm  that  he  had 
f?een  it.  Its  weird  music,  ascending  from  the  fright- 
ful ravines  on  eitlier  side  the  narrow  mountain  trail, 
seemed  to  float  near  tliem,  but  the  bird  ever  remained 
undiscovered.  By  a  preliminary  ascent  I  found  that 
it  would  be  necessar}',  in  order  to  procure  the  bird,  to 
spend  several  days  on  the  mountain-top,  as  it  dwelt 


A    CAMP    IN    A    CRATER.  187 

in  deep  gorges  and  ravines,  requiring  courage  and 
patience  to  penetrate. 

At  last  came  the  perfect  day,  when  the  Soufriere 
emerged  from  the  mist  that  had  enveloped  it  for  two 
we^ks,  and  stood  out  clear  against  a  sky  of  blue  and 
clouds  of  silver  gray.  A  glorious  day  was  that  last 
da\-  in  October,  with  itJ  bright  sun  illumining  the 
mountain,  over  whose  crest  were  flitting  shadows  cast 
bv  fleeing  clouds.  The  good  people  with  whom  I  had 
rested  for  a  week  and  more,  added  to  my  provisions 
luxuries  I  could  not  purchase,  such  as  guava  jelly, 
Java-plum  wine,  limes  and  oranges,  and  Mr.  Evelyn 
and  his  son  rode  with  me  a  little  way  on  my  journey. 

x\t  first  the  road  was  along  the  shore,  beneath  cliffs 
and  groo-groo  palms  ;  we  crossed  a  turbulent  river, 
with  wide,  rocky  bed,  and  soon  came  to  the  bed  of  the 
famous  "  dry  river,"  —  the  channel  worn  by  that  resist- 
less flood  of  lava  when  on  its  way  to  the  sea.  It  is 
two  hundred  yards  in  width,  barren  of  vegetation  for 
a  mile  from  the  sea,  inclosed  between  high  cliffs, 
clothed  in  verdure,  hung  with  vines,  spiny  palms, 
tree-ferns  —  a  wonderful  hanging  garden.  There 
are  three  of  these  ''dry  rivers,"  w'here  the  lava  filled 
up  the  bed  of  some  flowing  stream,  or  excavated  an 
immense  furrow  for  itself  in  its  descent ;  nothing  will 
grow  in  them  near  the  sea,  though  their  banks  are 
rank  with  vegetation. 

We  went  through  a  cane-field,  and  then  over  an  at- 
tractive pasture  land,  leaving  which  I  commenced  the 
ascent.  Here,  at  the  foot-hills  of  the  Soufriere,  my 
friends  left  me,  and  here  my  friend's  mule  ("Betsey," 
the  best  mule  on  the  estate)  manifested  a  desire  to 
return  also.     Vigorously  I  applied  the  spur,  and  she 


l88  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

slowly  ascended  the  winding  path,  over  ridges  covered 
with  calumet  grass,  and  through  forest-like  groups  of 
tree-ferns  and  wild  plantains.  Having  given  Betsey  a 
taste  of  the  grass,  while  she  was  resting  beneath  a 
shade,  she  was  prone  to  stop  and  loath  to  go  ahead, 
and  it  was  late  when  I  reached  the  "  maroon  tree," 
half-way  up  the  mountain-side. 

Over  and  through  the  broad-leaved  plants  darted 
the  humming-birds  —  crested,  violet-breast,  and  crim- 
son-throat. Most  conspicuous  and  numerous  was  the 
latter,  with  back  of  purple-black  and  throat  of  crim- 
son-gold ;  I  found  him  oftenest  in  the  upper  forests, 
in  the  dark  recesses  of  untrodden  glens  and  along  the 
borders  of  the  mountain  path.  If  you  hear  a  sharp 
chirp  in  these  silent  woods,  or  are  startled  by  a  sud- 
den whir,  be  sure  it  is  he.  Sparrows,  finches,  and 
humming-birds  were  in  profusion  ;  they  flew  hurriedly 
across  the  space  in  front  of  the  tree,  and  darted  at  once 
into  a  thicket,  as  though  afraid  in  the  open,  but  re- 
assured in  the  shade. 

Finally  my  men  appeared,  loudly  complaining  of 
their  loads  ;  tliough  I  knew  they  had  loitered  and  were 
at  that  moment  chucklincr  to  tiiemselves  over  the  man- 
ner  in  which  they  had  "  fool  Massa  Buckra."  A 
wood-pigeon  had  been  all  the  while  feeding  in  the 
trees  above,  and  parrots  had  proclaimed  their  presence 
by  loud  cries  below,  but  both  disappeared  at  the  ar- 
rival of  the  men.  After  a  biscuit  and  sup  of  beer,  we 
went  on  ;  the  trail,  increasing  rapidly  in  steepness, 
left  the  tall  trees  behind,  and  led  through  smaller  ones 
scarcely  fifteen  feet  in  height.  Soon  even  these  alto- 
gether ceased,  and  we  climbed  the  backbone  of  the 
long  hill  leading  to  the  summit,  which  is  destitute  of 


A    CAMP    IN    A    CRATER.  189 

anything  like  trees,  and  densely  covered  with  a  fern 
with  flat,  branching  head,  and  giant  lycopodiums. 
One  would  fancy  he  could  walk  over  this  hill  in  any 
direction,  so  dense  and  solid  appears  this  leafy  carpet, 
but  a  step  outside  the  trail  almost  anywhere  would 
jilunge  him  waist-deep  in  ferns,  and  probably  neck- 
deep  into  a  hole.  The  view  of  the  grand,  rugged, 
dark-green  mountains  near  at  hand,  and  of  the  con- 
stan'ly  unfolding  shore,  green  with  sugar-cane,  is 
superb.  Here  St.  Vincent  seems  but  tvvo  or  three 
miles  across,  and  one  sees  what  a  little  island  it  is  ; 
but,  upon  reflection,  how  grand  are  the  works  of  na- 
ture contained  herein  I 

Half  a  mile  from  the  summit  I  heard  the  w^eird  notes 
of  the  "  Soufriere-bird,"  that  songster  about  which 
hung  the  mystery  I  hoped  to  penetrate.  Slowly  climb- 
ing the  winding  path,  I  at  length  reached  a  cave, 
hollowed  out  of  the  bank,  hung  with  ferns  dripping 
with  moisture.  My  cave,  however,  was  a  mile  far- 
ther, and  without  halting  I  passed  on  ;  a  sudden  turn 
revealed  the  crater,  deep  and  vast,  on  the  very  brink 
of  which  I  stood.  As  my  mule  refused  to  go  farther, 
and  kicked  and  reared  in  a  manner  not  desirable  on 
the  brink  of  a  crater  half  a  mile  deep,  I  was  forced  to 
return  to  the  cave  and  tie  this  mutinous  mule  ;  then  I 
returned  to  the  contemplation  of  the  great  work  before 
me.  The  vapors  wafted  on  the  trade-wind,  vapors  in 
odor  sulphureous,  had,  b}^  their  strength,  warned  me 
of  its  proximity. 

It  was  a  vast  amphitheatre,  a  mile  in  diameter,  as 
nearly  circular  as  it  is  possible  to  be,  three  miles  in  cir- 
cumference ;  the  walls  ran  straight  down  from  my  feet 
to  a  lake  at  the  bottom.     The  lip,  or  top,  is  irregular, 


190  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

of  a  wavy  outline,  rising  into  pointed  peaks,  sinking 
into  hollows ;  but  from  any  point  in  this  vast  circum- 
ference the  wall  descends  rapidly,  and  almost  perpen- 
dicularly, to  the  water  beneath.  The  sides  are  covered 
with  a  stunted  vegetation,  forming  a  smooth,  sloping 
surface,  which  might  deceive  the  spectator  into  the 
belief  that  he  could  walk  down  to  the  bottom.  On 
the  southern  and  south-western  sides  it  assumes  more 
the  amphitheatre  shape,  perpendicular  ranges  of  rock 
being  piled  one  above  another,  circling  around  the 
south-eastern  side  in  columns  that  call  to  mind  the 
ruins  of  the  Coliseum. 

The  eastern  wall  divides  the  two  craters — the 
"old"  and  the  "new";  the  latter  blown  out  in  the 
eruption  of  181 2,  where  before  was  solid  mountain.  It 
is  a  mere  jagged  escarpment,  along  which  no  one  now 
dares  climb.  Before  the  rain  and  force  of  the  violent 
winds  had  crumbled  it  so  much,  it  was  once  scaled. 
It  is  said  that  Prince  Alfred  attempted  it  in  1861,  on 
the  occasion  of  his  ascent  of  this  volcano,  but  failed  to 
accomplish  it.  It  is  so  narrow  that  one  can  stride  it, 
and  so  steep  down  either  side  that  it  makes  the  head 
swim  to  measure  it  from  above.  The  northern  brim 
is  the  lowest,  and  it  is  here  that  the  lava  poured  out 
towards  the  Caribbean  Sea  at  Morne  Ronde  ;  and  be- 
yond is  the  higher  peak,  against  which  was  forced  the 
fiery  flood,  as  seen  by  the  wondering  inhabitants  of 
the  coast.  On  the  southern  side  the  trees  and  shrubs 
seem  blasted  and  blackened  by  sulphur  fumes.  The 
southern  wall  rises  high,  and  in  its  dome-shaped  sum- 
mit is  excavated  the  cave,  my  home  for  nearly  a 
week ;  its  dark  portal  can  be  distinctly  seen,  though 
a  mile  avvay. 


A    CAMP    IN    A    CRATER.  I9I 

The  whole  shore  of  the  lake  at  the  bottom  of  the 
crater  is  incrusted  with  sulphur,  a  gray  and  yellow 
rim  lining  the  base  of  the  cliffs  that  dip  down,  no 
one  knows  how  deep,  into  the  water  of  the  basin. 
Around  the  shore  are  little  caves,  grottoes,  and  black 
openings  to  the  many  ravines  that  seam  the  side  of 
the  bowl.  A  little  islet  is  formed  on  the  eastern  side 
—  the  "new-crater"  side  —  by  a  detached  rock,  or 
water-worn  pinnacle  from  a  submerged  rocky  base. 
In  some  of  the  ravines  are  scattered  tree-ferns,  stunted, 
to  be  sure,  yet  possessing  grace  and  beauty  that  the 
fern,  especially  the  tree-fern,  never  loses. 

But  how  shall  I  describe  that  sheet  of  water 
slumbering  in  the  bowels  of  the  crater?  It  lies  in  the 
bottom  of  the  bowl  at  least  twelve  hundred  feet  be- 
neath the  brim,  serene,  unmoved,  a  lake  beneath  the 
power  of  the  elements  to  ruffle.  Clouds  of  mist  sail 
over  it,  and  are  blown  into  the  crater  from  the  east- 
w^ard,  but  the  fiercest  gusts,  and  they  are  strong  and 
frequent,  cannot  disturb  that  silent  lake  reposing 
in  its  bosom.  Its  hue  is  almost  indescribable  :  pearl- 
green,  creamy  in  hue  yet  with  a  decided  greenish 
tint,  opalescent  with  a  tinge  of  the  faintest  aqua 
marine.  Against  gray  cliffs,  dark  gorges  and  green 
moss,  as  it  lies  with  its  circling  rim  of  golden  sul- 
phur, it  resembles  a  huge  opal  in  setting  of  gold  and 
emerald. 

In  the  apex  of  the  southern  hill  bordering  the  crater, 
some  one,  long  ago,  hollowed  out  a  place  for  shelter. 
It  is  only  about  ten  feet  across  and  in  depth,  and  it  is 
open  on  the  northern  side  overlooking  the  lake,  and, 
excepting  a  slight  hollow,  at  the  top,  also  ;  but  it  gives 
shelter  from  the  keen,  mist-laden  winds  of  the  Atlan- 


192  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

tic,  and  by  crouching  in  one  corner,  one  can  avoid 
the  rains  from  any  quarter  but  the  north-west.  As  the 
winds  and  rains,  and  all  storms  save  the  hurricanes 
and  heavy  gales  —  which  latter  are  generally  from  the 
westward  when  at  their  worst  —  come  from  eastward, 
this  cave  gives  protection  in  a  majority  of  cases.  It 
is  cut  out  of  gray  rock,  probably  part  of  the  moun- 
tain-side before  the  eruption,  and  the  sides  and  frag- 
ment of  roof  are  fringed  with  ferns  and  wild  pines. 
I  chose  this  cave  as  being  more  protected,  nearer 
the  windward  coast,  my  ultimate  destination,  and  as 
being  near  the  only  spring  of  fresh  water  on  the 
mountain. 

It  was  five  o'clock  before  the  men  came  up.  Paying 
three  of  them,  I  dispatched  them  back  to  Richmond 
with  the  mule,  and  my  compliments  to  its  owner,  and 
hurried  on  Toby  to  the  work  of  preparing  a  camp. 

Here,  it  is  dark  before  six  ;  on  the  western  shore 
there  is  little  or  no  twilight,  for  the  sun  drops  into  the 
Caribbean  Sea  with  a  celerity  that  surprises  a  North- 
erner, draws  a  nightcap  of  crimson  and  golden  clouds 
over  his  head,  which  soon  turn  lead-color  then  black, 
and  the  day  is  done,  finished  at  once  without  any  dally- 
ing, and  the  stars  come  out  ready  for  business.  The 
blue  vault  is  studded  with  silver  stars  and  golden 
planets  gleaming  like  lamps  ;  and  if  there  is  a  moon, 
mountain  and  valley  are  at  once  flooded  with  pale 
light.  Forcibly  such  a  scene  brings  to  mind  those 
lines  in  "The  Ancient  Mariner"  — 

"The  Sun's  rim  dips  ;  the  stars  rush  out ; 
At  one  stride  comes  the  dark." 

Toby  cut  wood  for  a  fire,  and  soon  had  a  good  one 

roaring  in   the    little  fireplace    hollowed  out   of  the 


A    CAMP     IN    A    CRATER.  I93 

eastern  wall  of  the  cave.  By  my  direction,  he  cut 
four  small  trees  having  crotches  at  the  tops,  and  planted 
them  in  the  ground  with  their  crotched  parts  meeting, 
where  I  lashed  them  together,  one  pair  at  either  side 
of  the  cave.  Across  these  I  laid  a  pole  the  length  of 
the  cave,  and  secured  it  firmly  with  lines,  thus  forming 
a  secure  framework,  to  which  I  swung  my  hammock. 
Over  the  pole,  sheltering  the  hammock,  was  stretched 
a  square  of  canvas  eight  feet  across,  with  each  corner 
fastened  to  pegs  in  the  ground.  Thus  was  I  provided 
w^ith  bed  and  shelter  within  half  an  hour  from  the 
time  we  reached  the  cave.  A  pair  of  arm}''  blankets 
to  cover  me,  and  a  coat  for  a  pillow,  made  a  bed  so 
soft  and  tempting  that  I  could  scarcely  wait  for  the 
water  to  boil  for  the  coffee  ;  and  after  a  lunch  of 
sardines  and  crackers  we  turned  into  our  respective 
quarters. 

Toby,  my  only  companion,  deserves  especial  notice, 
for,  though  he  did  not  conduct  himself  throughout  our 
stay  on  the  mountain-top  with  that  courage  and 
equanimity  so  desirable  in  an  explorer,  or  the  com- 
panion of  one,  still  he  was  the  only  human  being 
who  accompanied  me  through  it  all.  To  begin  with, 
he  was  black :  if  a  bottle  of  ink  had  been  emptied 
over  him  he  could  not  have  been  blacker,  it  would 
have  been  only  a  waste  of  ink.  And  his  eyes  were 
white  —  that  is,  the  whites  of  them  ;  and  whether 
the  contrast  between  them  and  his  skin  was  owing 
to  the  whiteness  of  one  and  the  blackness  of  the 
other,  or  to  the  sootiness  of  the  other  and  the  chalki- 
ness  of  the  one,  I  could  not  determine.  His  nose  was 
broad ;  to  say  that  it  was  as  broad  as  it  was  long 
would  be  confusion  to  one's  ideas  of  length  and 
13 


194  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

breadth  ;  and  the  end,  or  what  was  intended  for  the 
end,  turned  up,  revealing  such  cavernous  nostrils, 
that  I  often  wondered  why  he  did  not  utilize  them  in 
rainy  weather  and  crawl  into  them  out  of  the  wet. 
Beneath  these  wide,  dilated  nostrils  protruded  a  pair 
of  lips  without  an  equal  this  side  of  Toby ;  the  upper 
one  formed  a  protecting  ledge,  a  threshold  to  the  nasal 
caverns,  and  met  the  lower  in  a  line  that  looked  like 
a  cut  in  a  beefsteak.  Between  eyes  and  nose  and 
mouth,  there  was  little  of  Toby  left,  except  wool  and 
ears  and  a  narrow  strip  of  forehead,  to  constitute  his 
head.  The  wool  was  of  the  kinkiest;  and  the  ears, 
they  might  have  been  small  for  a  large  elephant,  but 
they  were  certainly  large  for  even  a  good-sized  negro. 
The  general  make-up  of  Toby  was  in  keeping  with 
his  features :  large  was  he  from  his  crown  to  his  feet. 
As  for  those  useful  members  of  locomotion,  I  can  only 
affirm  as  my  belief  that  if  my  hammock  had  hung 
lower  than  it  did  —  two  feet  from  the  ground  —  it 
would  have  brushed  Toby's  toes  as  he  lay  prostrate  on 
his  back. 

In  the  night  it  commenced  to  rain,  and  during  the 
succeeding  days  and  nights  that  we  stayed  in  the  cave, 
five  in  all,  rain  fell  with  little  intermission.  I  awoke 
at  daybreak,  my  watch  indicating  five  o'clock.  A 
mist  covered  the  mountains,  a  dense  cloud  filled  the 
crater.  It  had  rained  all  night,  and  everything  was 
saturated  ;  a  most  comfortless  morning ;  yet,  up  from 
the  trees  beneath  the  cave,  from  ravine  and  hidden 
glen,  from  the  crater's  very  heart,  came  the  melodious 
notes  of  the  soufridre-bird.  A  little  later,  I  heard 
the  whistle  of  a  bird  new  to  me,  and  the  notes  of  the 
"  wall    bird,"  the   house  wren,  and    the  chirping   of 


A    CAMP    IN    A    CRATER.  I95 

sparrows.    It  evidently  was  not  a  comfortless  morning 
to  them. 

It  required  considerable  time  for  Toby  to  get  the 
fire  under  way  and  coffee  boiled ;  but  when  we 
had  drunk  the  coffee  and  munched  a  biscuit,  and  I 
had  cleaned  and  oiled  my  breech-loader,  and  inspected 
my  photographic  chemicals,  we  left  the  cave  for  the 
opposite  rim  of  the  crater.  Down  the  rather  steep 
hill,  along  the  winding,  rocky  path,  we  walked  rapid- 
ly ;  I  once  in  a  while  halted  to  have  a  shot  at  some 
bird,  but  not  one  showed  itself,  except  a  wren,  that  I 
shot  from  a  mossy  stump  only  a  couple  of  rods  from 
the  path  ;  yet  Toby  could  not  find  it ;  indeed,  as  his 
first  step  plunged  him  over  head  in  a  gulch  that  had 
been  concealed  by  ferns,  disturbing  several  black 
snakes  that  writhed  around  his  legs,  he  was  so  terror- 
stricken  that  he  would  not  look,  and  ever  after  he 
would  only  follow  in  my  footsteps.  Then  we  mounted 
the  near  peak,  where  no  trail  led,  and  skirted  the 
crater-brim  to  the  northern  side.  We  went  scarcely 
three  quarters  of  a  mile,  3'et  it  took  us  over  an  hour  to 
reach  the  farthest  practicable  point. 

Just  there  I  heard  the  notes  of  the  soufriere-bird,  in 
a  deep  gorge  back  of  the  crater-rim.  There  were 
some  pigeon-berry  trees  growing  there,  thick  and 
black  in  the  shelter  of  a  hill,  and  I  distinctly  saw  a 
black-backed  bird  giving  utterance  to  wild  notes. 
This  was  the  first  time  I  had  seen  the  soufri^re-bird ; 
indeed,  I  had  almost  come  to  consider  it  invisible,  as 
it  was  popularly  supposed  to  be,  for  this  was  the  third 
time  I  had  hunted  for  it.  In  a  previous  ascent,  for 
the  purpose  of  reconnoissance,  I  had  sought  it  vainly, 
heard  it  singing,  apparently  near   me,  but  could  not 


196  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

discover  it:  around,  below,  above,  the  mysterious 
music  floated  on  tiie  air,  but  the  bird  remained  unseen. 
The  notes,  I  am  certain,  are  ventriloquial,  for  they 
never  indicate  the  place  in  which  the  bird  is  at  rest 
while  uttering  them  ;  a  bird  may  seem  at  a  distance, 
while  in  reality  he  is  close  at  hand. 

Cautiously  I  plunged  into  the  dense  thicket  of  wild 
pines  and  yuccas  that  grew  on  a  quaking  bed  of 
sphagnum,  waded  into  a  growth  of  calumet  grass 
higher  than  my  head,  and  so,  plunging  deeply  and 
holding  by  rotten  trees,  I  got  within  shot.  At  the  re- 
port, the  bird  flew  wildly  and  fell  at  a  distance  from 
where  I  stood ;  a  few  steps  farther,  and  I  found  my- 
self on  the  edge  of  a  deep  gulch  over  which  hung  a 
tangled  mass  of  dead  bushes  and  grass.  Toby  came  to 
my  assistance  with  his  cutlass,  but  we  only  succeeded 
in  getting  a  foot  or  two  farther.  I  was  obliged  to  leave 
my  first  soufridre-bird,  Toby  remarking,  *^  No  use, 
make  um  too  much  bad."  We  retraced  our  steps,  and 
when  within  sight  of  our  cave,  discovered  some  people 
there  ;  a  nearer  approach  revealed  a  party  of  ladies 
and  gentlemen  from  the  windward  sugar-estates,  who 
had  come  up  to  the  mountain  marooning.  At  my  re- 
quest, they  made  their  headquarters  in  the  cave,  and 
then  we  all  started  for  the  "  new  crater,"  reaching  it 
after  some  tough  walking,  and  plucky  riding  on  the 
part  of  the  ladies. 

The  "new  crater"  lies  east  of  the  "old,"  and  is 
reached  by  a  narrow  trail  half  circling  the  huge  basin 
of  the  latter.  The  climb  from  the  regular  trail  to 
windward  is  steep  and  fatiguing,  and  made  worse  by 
over-trailing  grass  and  filamentous  yucca,  which  will 
get  entangled  in  one's  legs  spite  of  endeavors  to  pre- 


A    CAMP    IN    A    CRATER.  I97 

vent  it.  You  come  upon  it  as  abruptly  as  upon  the 
first,  and  the  bank  is  steep,  even  shelving  in,  so  that 
you  are  obliged  to  lie  down  and  peer  over  the  brink 
to  see  to  the  bottom  of  the  abyss.  Unlike  the  first, 
it  has  no  water,  save  a  small  pool,  dark  and  gloomy 
enough  to  be  an  opening  into  the  great  infernal  re- 
gions below,  as  it  undoubtedly  is.  This  pool  is  in  the 
eastern  side  of  the  crater-floor,  which  is  here  com- 
paratively level,  with  a  dip  in  the  direction  of  the 
water.  The  walls  arise  from  this  floor,  jagged  and 
rent,  torn  and  water-worn,  for  nearly  a  thousand  feet, 
precipitous,  seamed  in  places  with  ravines  and  cov- 
ered with  ferns. 

There  is  not  much  of  interest  here  outside  the  fact 
that  it  had  its  origin  in  that  terrible  explosion  in  1812, 
before  which  the  space  occupied  by  this  great  crater 
was  solid  mountain.  At  the  same  time  also  that  coni- 
cal island  which  rose  I'rom  the  center  of  the  other  cra- 
ter was  blown  into  space.  It  has  been  entered  and 
the  bottom  reached,  but  all  attempts  to  fathom  that 
black  pool  have  been  unavailing.  From  a  little  dis- 
tance can  be  seen  the  bulging  wall  that  arises  from 
the  slope  eastward,  which  gives  this  mountain  surn- 
mit  a  cone-like  character.  Beyond  is  an  enclosing 
ring  of  mountains,  and  in  a  narrow  valley  between 
crater-cone  and  mountains  are  deep,  very  deep,  ra- 
vines and  gorges,  where  flowed  that  fiery  tide  of  lava 
when  it  swept  down  upon  the  windward  coast. 

We  returned  to  the  cave,  and  soon  the  party  left 
us,  with  offers  of  assistance  when  I  should  arrive  at 
their  plantations.  Toby  sat  in  the  cave's  mouth,  nor 
would  he  stir  from  it  during  the  ensuing  three  days 
and  nights,  except  to  get  water  and  wood.     His  ex- 


198  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

perience  with  the  snakes  had  satisfied  him.  The 
attendants  of  the  party  had  related  to  him  the  idle 
tale  current  among  the  negroes  of  the  coast,  namely, 
that  the  first  individual  who  saw  the  soufriere-bird 
would  surely  die.  Much  more  was  the  danger  in- 
creased when  the  bird  should  be  killed ;  and  with 
what  vengeance  dire  the  evil  spirits  would  visit  the 
author  of  its  death,  they  hesitated,  shuddered  even, 
to  think.  Consequently  Toby  was  in  trepidation ; 
his  spirit  was  perturbed.  Sullenly  he  performed  his 
daily  work.  He  even  hesitated  to  go  for  water  to  the 
spring  on  the  mountain-side  —  to  "Jacob's  well"  — 
which  gushed  from  under  a  huge  bowlder,  forming  a 
little  pool,  half  a  mile  from  the  cave.  He  was  com- 
pletely demoralized,  and  the  incessant  rain  made  him 
disconsolate ;  he  sat  in  his  corner  resting  his  chin  on 
his  hand,  his  nose  on  his  lips,  nodding  assent  to  his 
inward  cogitations  in  a  manner  that  boded  no  good  to 
my  enterprise. 

He  had  constructed  a  little  shelter  of  sticks  and 
leaves  in  a  corner  of  the  cave,  where  he  slept  by 
night  on  a  scanty  layer  of  leaves,  and  drowsed  by 
day.  The  second  day  he  informed  me  that  he  felt 
it  imperative  to  go  down  to  see  his  "  stock ; "  that  he 
had  left  his  "stock"  with  no  one  to  "care  fur  dem," — 
a  "pig  high  like  dat" — measuring  a  distance  of  about 
a  foot  above  the  ground,  —  "one  high  like  dis,  an'  one 
high  so,  sah."  After  this,  I  noticed  that  his  anxiety 
for  his  stock  increased  with  the  inclemency  of  the 
weather.  Altogether,  I  do  not  think  Toby  enjoyed 
his  residence  on  the  mountain-top,  especially  as  he 
looked  forward  to  the  death  of  the  bird  with  fear, 
while  I  could  only  think  of  it  with  feelings  of  lively 


THE    SOUFRIERE-BIRD.  I99 

joy.  Hence,  he  not  only  refused  to  accompany  me 
on  my  excursions,  but  exercised  his  little  wit  to  throw 
obstacles  in  my  way. 

The  local  name  of  the  "  Soufriere-bird,"  from  the 
French  word  soufrierc,  a  sulphur  mountain,  an  in- 
habitant of  the  volcano,  has  been  obtained  from  the 
Caribs  and  the  negroes,  as  the  bird  is  rarely  heard 
outside  a  gunshot  limit  from  the  crater.  Its  habitat 
is  strictly  mountainous,  and  I  do  not  think  it  is  ever 
found  at  a  lesser  height  than  one  thousand  feet  above 
the  sea,  and  in  the  dark  ravines  and  gorges  seaming 
the  sides  of  the  cone  it  finds  a  congenial  retreat.  It  re- 
sembles a  closely-allied  bird  of  Dominica,  the  "Moun- 
tain whistler,"  in  many  particulars,  especially  in  its 
habits  of  seclusion,  shyness,  and  melody  of  song.  It 
is,  however,  much  sh3-er  than  even  the  Dominica 
bird  ;  and  while  the  latter  seems  to  prefer  the  solitude 
of  dark  gorges  more  from  a  love  of  retirement  than 
fear  of  man,  the  soufriere-bird  is  timid,  even  suspi- 
ciously watchful  of  man's  presence,  and  flies  from 
his  approach.  In  its  wild,  sweet,  melancholy  music 
it  strikingly  resembles  the  "mountain  whistler,"  but 
the  notes  are  different. 

From  the  dense  thicket  of  trees  bordering  the  trail 
around  the  crater  this  bird  sends  forth  its  mystic  mu- 
sic, and  darts  awa}'  at  the  slightest  indication  of  human 
proximity  to  its  haunts.  As  the  earth  supporting  the 
trees  it  inhabits  is  cut  into  every  conceivable  shape 
of  hole,  rut,  and  ravine,  and  as,  moreover,  the  place 
swarms  with  monster  snakes,  the  terror  of  the  negroes, 
almost  the  only  people  crossing  the  mountain,  it  has 
been  connected  with  the  superstitions  of  the  negro, 
and  has  ever  remained  the  "invisible,  mysterious  bird 


2CK)  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

with  the  heavenly  song."  Naturalists  have  sought  for 
it,  and  residents  of  the  island  have  tried  to  capture 
it,  but  without  success.  Misled  by  its  ventriloquial 
music  and  deterred  by  the  character  of  its  rough  re- 
treats, they  have  returned  bootless  to  the  coast,  almost 
believing,  with  the  negro,  that  it  was  indeed  invisible. 
The  Indians  avoided  its  haunts,  and  regarded  with 
veneration  this  bird  that  filled  the  air  with  unearthly 
melody  ;  for  generations  they  have  preserved  the  tra- 
dition of  its  existence,  and  vaguely  associated  it  with 
the  tutelar  deit\^  of  the  volcano. 

The  third  night  passed  wearily.  My  blankets,  ham- 
mock, and  garments  were  saturated  by  the  mist,  and 
the  air  was  so  charged  with  sulphur  fume.s  that  it 
seemed  difficult  to  breathe.  Toby  rested  uneasily ; 
his  uncomfortable  couch  and  his  anxiety  regarding 
his  "stock"  interfered  with  perfect  repose.  By  the 
aid  of  a  line  fastened  to  a  stake,  I  managed  to  keep 
my  hammock  moving,  and  thus  rocked  myself  to 
sleep;  but  my  naps  were  short  and  fitful,  and  fre- 
quently interrupted.  Toward  the  small  hours  I  was 
asleep  and  dreaming.  The  events  of  the  preceding 
days,  and  the  constant  reminder  before  me  of  that 
catastrophe  of  sixty  years  before,  when  this  mountain 
was  shaken  and  rent  and  the  fire  in  its  bosom  let  loose, 
gave  shape  to  my  dreams.  I  was  living  through  that 
terrible  week  in  April,  when  the  volcano  vomited  forth 
the  volume  of  ashes  and  fire  that  desolated  the  island ; 
nay,  more,  I  was  camped  upon  its  very  summit.  I 
felt  the  heaving  of  the  earth  beneath,  but  could  not 
move ;  I  heard  the  gathering  of  those  internal  forces 
preparatory  to  the  bursting  forth  of  flame  and  steam  ; 
the  rumbling  roar  that  came  up  from  that  subterranean 


THE    SOUFRIERE-BIRD.  20I 

furnace  grew  louder  and  increased  to  the  howling  of 
the  hurricane,  and  seemed  to  approach  the  very  crust 
of  earth  upon  which  I  lay  ;  the  thin  shell  vibrated, 
cracked,  hre  leaped  forth,  and,  amid  the  most  terrific 
explosions,  I  descended  —  to  the  bottom  of  my  cave. 

Confused  and  astonished,  I  gathered  my  blanket 
about  me,  and  looked  around.  The  hammock  was 
oscillating  gently,  small  stones  and  particles  of  loos- 
ened earth  were  falling  from  above  in  a  gentle  shower, 
and  Toby  was  snoring  earnestly.  Returning  to  my 
hammock,  I  lay  there  cogitating,  with  the  rain  pat- 
tering on  my  canvas  roof,  and  watched  Toby  as  he 
emitted  those  nasal  blasts.  An  idea  struck  me  — 
ideas  often  strike  me.  Why  could  not  this  wasted 
power  be  utilized?  Snoring  causes  vibration  ;  vibra- 
tion communicated  causes  motion;  motion  was  what 
I  wanted  to  swing  my  hammock,  to  rock  me  to  sleep. 
Instantly  I  had  conceived  a  device  for  utilizing  this 
force  ;  and  such  was  my  faith  in  its  merits,  that,  if 
I  had  been  on  American  instead  of  English  soil,  I 
should  have  hastened  at  once  to  get  the  invention  pro- 
tected by  patent.  This  boon  to  people  who  sleep  in 
couples,  this  invention  that  will  do  away  with  mid- 
night rising  to  rock  the  cradle,  is  not  yet  patented; 
hence  it  would  not  be  policy  in  me  to  give  the  details 
of  its  construction  to  the  world. 

The  morning  of  the  fourth  day  dawned  dimly. 
Toby  prepared  coffee,  and  I  took  my  gun  and  game- 
basket  and  went  down  the  mountain  a  short  way, 
where  I  had  heard  the  song  of  the  bird  the  day  be- 
fore. It  was  a  sort  of  shoulder  in  the  hill,  where  a 
curve  in  the  crater-brim  and  a  hollow  in  the  hill  gave 
shelter  from  the  vapor-charged  wind  from  the  "wind- 


202  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

ward."  I  entered  the  thicket  of  stunted  trees  with 
dense  tops,  and  sat  down.  As  I  did  so,  the  whistle 
of  a  soufriere-bird,  that  had  emanated  from  it,  sud- 
denly ceased,  and  I  knew  he  had  seen  me  and  had 
flown.  I  waited  a  long  time  in  silence,  but  they 
seemed  to  have  been  made  aware  of  my  presence, 
and  only  the  distant  murmur  of  their  music  came  to 
me  from  different  parts  of  tiie  slope.  Tired  of  this 
solitude,  I  started  down  the  steep  declivity.  The  first 
step  taken  beyond  tiie  range  of  my  vision  as  I  sat, 
plunged  me  into  a  hole  to  my  neck  ;  it  had  been  con- 
cealed by  ferns  and  mosses,  and  I  slowly  crawled  out 
through  them  with  painful  exertion. 

I  found  that  the  surface  was  cut  up  into  ravines 
and  gullies,  starting  from  the  crater-rim.  Probably 
the  deepest  of  them  were  gouged  out  by  the  flood  of 
lava  that  poured  over  the  crater's  edge  in  that  terrible 
outflow  of  volcanic  wealth.  Rain  flowing  through  the 
loose  volcanic  ash  may  have  cut  the  more  re(jent,  but 
it  Cvould  not  have  descended  with  sutiicient  impetuosity 
to  have  hollowed  out  the  deep  well-holes  and  cut  those 
deep  ravines  with  perpendicular  walls.  Starting  from 
the  narrow  edge  of  the  crater,  they  spread  out  like 
a  fan,  furrowing  the  outer  surface  of  the  cone,  grow- 
ing deeper,  broader,  and  gloomier,  until  lost  in  the 
dark  recesses  below.  Over  all  grew  the  small  trees, 
densely  crowded ;  ferns,  filamentous  yuccas,  moss 
and  wild  pines  covered  the  earth  and  rocks  in  impen- 
etrable confusion,  so  concealing  the  openings  to  the 
narrower  gullies  that  it  was  impossible  to  ascertain 
their  whereabouts  without  a  very  careful  examination. 
It  was  into  tiiis  wilderness  that  I  plunged,  floundering 
through  tangled  masses  of  branching  fern  and  through 


THE    SOUFRIERE-BIRD.  203 

dense  clusters  of  ground-orchids.  But  I  found  few 
birds  save  a  sparrow  or  two  and  a  sucrier,  and  the 
prospect  was  most  discouraging. 

A  death-like  stillness  pervaded  that  gloomy  slope, 
disturbed  only  by  the  sivirr  of  the  volumes  of  mist  as 
they  swept  over  the  eastern  spur,  and  the  faint  notes 
of  the  soufriere-bird  down  below.  Suddenly  1  be- 
tliought  myself  of  a  bird-call  taught  me  by  the  Caribs 
of  Dominica  ;  and  with  such  success  did  I  use  it,  that, 
in  ten  minutes,  the  hitherto  silent  trees  were  alive  with 
stirring  feathered  forms,  hurrying  forward  in  anxious 
flight.  The  first  to  respond  —  and  I  afterwards  found 
it  always  in  advance  of  the  others —  was  a  flycatcher  ; 
it  flew  precipitately  to  the  very  tree  beneath  which  I 
stood,  and  hopped  about  the  branches,  peering  anx- 
iously beneath  ;  closely  following  him  was  his  mate. 
Then  the  sparrows  (two  species)  took  up  the  cry,  and 
close  behind  them  came  the  certhiolas  ;  but  these  latter 
satisfied  themselves  with  a  glance  and  then  went  about 
their  business.  The  little  humming-bird,  the  crested, 
was  the  most  attracted  and  the  most  audacious,  and  flew 
directly  for  my  face,  halting  on  buzzing  wings  before 
me,  darting  from  side  to  side,  finally  alighting  on  a 
branch  close  by,  crest  erected,  every  feather  of  this 
pigmy  beauty  seemingly  electrified,  darting  glances 
in  every  direction.  Then  the  rapid  whirring  of  wings 
gave  token  of  the  coming  of  the  great  crimson- 
throated  hummer,  and  he  seemed  as  anxious,  and 
circled  as  closely  about  me,  as  his  little  cousin  ;  he 
likewise  perched  himself  upon  a  near  twig,  his  back 
and  throat  resplendent  in  the  fugitive  sunbeams  that 
stole  through  the  branches. 


204  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

But,  gratified  as  I  was  with  this  stir  of  animated  life 
that  my  seductive  call  had  evoked,  I  still  awaited 
anxiously  the  appearance  of  thiat  rara  avis  of  these 
solitudes.  Soon  I  heard  a  low  call-note,  such  as  I 
had  heard  that  bird  give  utterance  to,  and  imitating  it 
closely  as  possible,  I  was  gratified  to  hear  it  repeated 
nearer  at  hand,  and  then  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  dusky 
body  flitting  on  rapid  wing  through  the  farther  shades. 
Its  flight  was  very  rapid  and  noiseless.  It  suddenly 
came  into  view  a  good  gun-shot  off,  evidently  excited, 
twitching  its  tail,  jerking  its  wings,  and  uttering  a 
low  whistle.  In  a  thought  it  saw  me,  just  as  I  caught 
a  snap-shot  as  it  darted  through  the  closely-woven 
branches.  Through  the  thin  veil  of  smoke  1  caught 
sight  of  a  few  floating  feathers,  and  hurried  forward 
without  reloading,  breaking  my  way  through  matted 
masses  of  ferns,  leaping  gullies,  and  swinging  myself 
finally  beneath  the  tree  upon  which  he  had  for  a 
moment  rested.  There  was  nothing  in  sight.  Dis- 
appointed, I  yet  trusted  those  floating  feathers  had 
not  misled  me,  and  renewed  the  search,  carefully 
displacing  the  ferns  and  fallen  branches  one  by  one. 
It  was  only  upon  searching  lower  down,  where  a 
steep  incline  had  given  it  impetus,  that  I  found  it, 
lodged  in  a  wild  pine  on  the  verge  of  a  ravine. 

Exultant  was  I  then,  as  that  soft-plumaged  bird  lay 
in  view  before  me  ;  forgotten  was  the  toil  and  previous 
exertion,  forgotten  the  rain  and  discomfort  of  the 
night.  I  had  triumphed  over  all  obstacles  in  my  path, 
and  was  about  to  hold  in  my  hand  the  first  soufri^re- 
bird  known  to  have  been  shot  within  the  memory  of 
any  one  now  living.     In  ray  anxiety,  in  my  headlong 


THE    SOUFRIERE-BIRD.  205 

eagerness  to  possess  the  bird,  I  neglected  to  examine 
the  ground  beneath  my  feet;  I  saw  only  the  bird,  and 
darted  forward.  The  loose  earth  gave  way,  the 
mass  of  orchids  and  roots,  loosened  by  the  rains,  fell 
without  warning,  and  I,  wildly  grasping  at  overhang- 
ing roots  which  broke  in  my  grip,  was  thrown  into 
the  ravine.  It  was  not  more  than  fifteen  feet  in  depth, 
and  so  narrow  that  my  fall  was  broken  by  the  adjacent 
walls,  and  I  landed  on  my  feet,  bruised  and  a  little 
torn,  but  without  serious  injury. 

Joy  at  escape  from  immediate  danger  was  quickly 
turned  to  apprehension  regarding  escape  from  the 
gulch,  for  the  walls  were  as  smooth  as  water  could 
wear  them,  and  the  lower  portion  of  the  ravine  dis- 
appeared suddenly  in  the  direction  of  the  lake.  The 
head  of  the  ravine  was  a  hole  like  a  well,  and  into 
this  I  had  fallen.  Through  the  crevice  below  me  I 
could  see  the  shimmering  waters  of  the  lake,  a  thou- 
sand feet  beneath,  and  a  few  steps  farther  would  have 
precipitated  me  into  its  unfathomed  ab}ss. 

A  shower  heaA'ier  than  the  others  came  down  fierce- 
ly, setting  rivulets  running  down  the  crater  and  wash- 
ing the  earth  from  beneath  my  feet,  warning  me  to  be 
out  of  the  hole  if  possible.  Clinging  to  some  pro- 
jections in  the  rock,  I  w^orked  my  way  slowly  up  until 
near  the  top  ;  when  about  to  thrust  my  arm  through 
the  vines  that  darkened  my  chamber,  I  w^as  startled 
by  the  appearance  of  a  black,  shining  head  with 
glittering  eyes,  thrust  right  into  my  face.  But  for  the 
nearness  of  the  opposite  wall,  I  should  have  fallen, 
this  apparition  took  me  so  by  surprise,  for  it  was  none 
other  than  an  immense  black  snake.     Fortunately,  I 


2o6 


CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 


could  secure  myself  in  position  by  bracing  my  legs 
against  each  opposing  cliff,  and  was  near  enough  to 
the  top  to  clutch  some  roots,  otherwise  I  could  not 
have  maintained  the  ground  I  had  gained.  The  snake 
crawled  out  of  a  crevice  in  the  rock,  and  though  he 
may  not  have  intended   to  harm   me,  I  will  confess 

to  a  feeling  of  fear 
at  that  time,  and 
remembered  with  re- 
gret how  thoughtless- 
ly I  had  laughed  at 
poor  Toby,  the  day 
before,  when  he  fled 
in  terror  from  a  snake 
I  had  caught  by  the 
tail.  My  gun,  which 
had  not  been  injured 
in  my  fall,  was  slung 
at  my  back,  and  by 
loosening  it  I  man- 
aged to  strike  the 
snake  a  smart  blow, 
which,  though  it  an- 
gered him,  caused 
him  to  glide  down  the  cliff  instead  of  up.  Thus 
relieved,  I  scrambled  through  the  dank  vegetation, 
and  stood  once  more  above  the  ground. 

From  the  lake  came  up  a  strange  hissing  sound,  as 
though  the  water  was  boiling,  caused  by  the  many 
streams  set  in  flow  by  the  rain  running  into  it.  Its 
usually  placid  surface  was  agitated,  and  I  could  detect 
a  perceptible  change  in  its  color. 


THE    SOUFRIERE-BIRD.  2&J 

My  precious  bird  had  landed  safely  at  the  bottom 
of  the  gulch,  though  somewhat  soiled,  and  he  now 
reposed  in  my  game-basket,  wrapped  in  a  paper  cone. 
This  was  the  first  soufri6re-bird  I  secured ;  the  next 
day  I  shot  three  others ;  they  proved  to  be  a  new 
species  and  were  named  the  Myiadestes  stbilans. 
Another  species,  shot  in  the  same  locality,  proved  to 
be  also  new,  and  was  afterwards  named  the  L.eu- 
copcza  Dishopi. 

The  da}^  following,  Toby's  patience  gave  out 
entirely,  and  I  was  obliged  to  descend  the  mountain 
to  the  Carib  country,  which,  as  the  cloud  of  fog  lifted, 
I  could  see  from  my  cave  as  a  lovely  green  slope, 
lying  between  dark  mountains  and  blue,  white-rimmed 
ocean. 


2o8  CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

TRADITIONAL   LORE.      A   MISADVENTURE. 

CARIB   COUNTRY.  —  SANDY  BAY.  —  CAPTAIN  GEORGE.  —  CAPTAIN 
GEORGE'S  FAMILY.  —  HIS  SUPERSTITIONS.  —  A  CARIB  ROMANCE. 

—  A  LOVE  TEST. — COURTSHIP  AND  MARRIAGE. —  PREPARING 
CASSAVA.  —  FARINE.  —  AN  INDIAN  INVENTION.  —  THE  OBEAH 
CHARM.  —  THE  CARIB  WARS.  —  A  BRAVE  COWARD.  —  THE 
CARIBS  CAPTURED.  —  SENT  TO  COAST  OF  HONDURAS.  —  THE 
SURVIVORS.  —  THE   SEMINOLES.  —  A  PARALLEL.  —  CARIB  SONG. 

—  CAPTAIN  GEORGE'S  TREASURE.  —  A  MISADVENTURE.  —  BAL- 
LICEAUX.  —  A  SEARCH  FOR  SKULLS.  —  BATTOWIA.  —  THE 
"MOSES  BOAT."  —  THE  MONSTER  IGUANA. — THE  CAVE. — THE 
TORTOISE.  —  A  RELIC  OF  A  PAST  AGE. — TROPIC  BIRDS.  —  OUR 
BOAT  SMASHED.  —  A  NIGHT  ON  THE  BEACH.  —  THE  SOUTHERN 
CROSS.  —  PAUL   AND   VIRGINIA.  —  CHURCH    ISLAND. 

CARIB  COUNTRY  is  that  portion  of  the  island 
of  St.  Vincent  lying  between  the  central  ridge 
of  mountains  and  the  Atlantic  coast.  It  is  the  most 
fertile  and  level,  spreading  from  the  foot  of  the  hills 
in  gentle  slopes  and  undulating  plains.  Formerly  in 
possession  of  the  Caribs,  it  early  attracted  the  English 
by  its  fertility,  and,  by  processes  well  known  to  the 
white  man  when  he  desires  his  red  brother's  land,  it 
soon  changed  hands.  Though  one  may  lament  this 
usurpation  of  the  Indian's  territory,  and  deprecate  such 
deeds  on  general  principles,  one  is  soon  reconciled  to 
the  change  after  he  has  been  domiciled  among  the 
people  in  present  possession. 


TRADITIONAL    LORE.  2O9 

It  has  never  been  my  fortune  to  meet  a  Scotchman 
on  his  native  heath,  and  whether  he  is  improved  by 
being  transplanted  to  another  chme,  I  cannot  tell. 
One  thing  is  indisputable,  he  could  not  be  more 
generous,  more  hospitable,  more  companionable  than 
are  those  rare  Scotchmen  in  the  West  Indies,  with 
especial  reference  to  the  managers  of  those  estates  in 
Carib  country.  As  all  the  estates  were  owned  by  one 
firm,  and  that  firm  held  that  there  were  no  managers 
so  skillful  and  faithful  as  their  own  countrymen, 
this  part  of  the  island  was  often  alluded  to  as  New 
Caledonia. 

From  "  Happy  Hill,"  accompanied  by  its  manager 
and  those  of  adjoining  estates,  I  cantered,  on  a  borrowed 
pony,  down  the  coast  to  the  Carib  settlement.  At 
Rabaca  is  the  celebrated  "  Dry  River  "  of  the  eastern 
coast,  which  is  very  broad,  and  often  swept  by  tor- 
rents from  the  mountains.  My  friends  rode  with  me 
as  far  as  Overland,  a  most  interesting  negro  village 
of  wattled  huts,  built  in  a  thick  wood  of  cocoa-palms 
and  bread-fruits.  Here  they  left  me  with  friendly 
adieus,  and  I  went  on  alone.  The  Soufriere  rose 
grandly  from  out  its  surrounding  forests,  and  the 
great  rock,  shaped  like  a  lion  couchant,  near  which 
my  cave  opened,  was  sharply  cut  against  the  bluest 
of  skies. 

The  Carib  settlement  of  Sandy  Bay  is  the  most 
secluded  in  the  island  ;  it  is  also  the  most  picturesque ; 
but,  as  rocks  and  wooded  hills  are  the  principal  ele- 
ments of  a  picturesque  landscape,  I  fancy  the  Caribs 
isolated  here  would  gladly  exchange  their  portion  for 
the  more  fertile  fields  near  Rabaca. 

An    Indian    named    Rabaca,    a    pure   Carib,    one 

14 


2IO  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

descended  from  an  ancient  family,  met  me  and  aided 
me  in  my  search  for  a  house,  and  I  was  comfortably 
fixed  before  night  in  a  little  house  of  reeds,  wattled 
and  thatched.  It  contained  two  rooms  eight  feet 
square,  separated  by  a  matting  of  tied  wild-plantain 
ribs.  The  result  of  my  observations  here  is  incorpo- 
rated in  chapter  nine,  but  there  are  some  incidents  of 
Indian  life  that  have  not  been  alluded  to  in  that 
narrative. 

My  nearest  neighbor  was  "  Captain  George,"  an 
Indian  descended  from  the  "  Black  Caribs."  That  is, 
his  father,  or  grandfather,  was  a  negro,  while  his 
mother,  or  grandmother,  was  a  Carib.  From  either 
paternal  or  maternal  ancestor  he  had  inherited  a  kinky 
wool  and  rather  thick  lips,  but  the  Indian  blood 
showed  itself  strongly.  Captain  George  was  intelli- 
gent beyond  the  average  Carib,  and  possessed  a  good 
knowledge  of  the  ancient  language,  which  his  grand- 
mother, who  had  "  brung  him  up,"  had  taught  him  ; 
and  as  he  was  always  ready  to  impart  to  me  the  words 
and  idioms  of  the  Indian  tongue,  I  was  a  frequent^ 
visitor  to  his  cabin,  where  1  would  sit  for  hours  listen- 
ing to  the  tales  and  traditions  handed  down  from  his 
ancestors.  He  had  an  interesting  family ;  and,  as  he 
had  married  a  "Yellow  Carib,"  a  woman  of  uncontami- 
nated  Indian  blood,  his  children  did  not  resemble  in 
complexion  either  him  or  his  wife.  Nothing  can  bet- 
ter show  this  difference  than  the  photograph  I  took  of 
the  group  one  afternoon,  as  we  returned  from  hunting 
in  the  hills.  The  children  were  blessed  with  abun- 
dant, black,  straight  hair,  which  was  worn  by  the 
girls  in  long  braids ;  it  was  a  trifle  coarser  than  that 
of  the  mother,  but  yet  beautiful. 


TRADITIONAL    LORE.  211 

Sandy  Bay  takes  its  name  from  a  beach  of  gray 
sand  guarded  by  volcanic  rocks,  lined  with  tropical 
vegetation  ;  at  its  northern  end  was  a  single  cocoa 
palm  leaning  over  a  thatched  hut  used  as  a  boat- 
house.  Beneath  this  hut  I  encountered  some  of  my 
Indian  neighbors,  dividing  their  spoils  from  the  sea ; 
there  were  fish  of  every  color:  "parrot  fish,"  "butter 
fish,"  and  "  silver  fish,"  radiant  with  all  the  hues  of  the 
rainbow.  To  each  man  Captain  George  laid  aside 
his  portion,  and  from  each  little  heap  took  a  fish  for 
the  stranger  sojourning  among  them.  This  done,  he 
retired  with  me  to  a  log  beneath  the  thatch,  and  over- 
hauled his  store  of  traditional  Indian  lore.  The  seas 
came  up  with  white  crests,  reaching  far  up  the  strand  ; 
the  sun  was  down  behind  the  volcano,  leaving  a  long, 
cool  twilight,  to  which  the  leeward  shore  is  a  stranger. 

Our  conversation  turned  upon  ghosts  and  those  evil 
spirits  called  by  the  negroes,  and  by  the  Indians, 
jumbies,  or  jombies.  "I  have  saw  jumbie  not  more 
than  three  times,"  said  the  old  Indian.  "  Once  time, 
I  runned  away  from  Rabaca,  an'  when  I  reach  de 
dry  ribah,  walkin'  along,  swingin'  my  bundle,  I  see 
man,  high  so,  as  a  boss,  an'  he  point  me  back ;  but  I 
keep  on.  When  I  come  to  cross  de  ribah  I  see  big 
bull-calf  to  come  down  de  bank ;  he  tail  up,  an'  he 
come  fo'  me  an'  swing  roun'  an'  roun'  an'  bawl,  an' 
then  he  run  back.  It  to  make  my  bar  stan'  up,  so ; 
an'  when  I  make  to  meet  him  at  nex'  ribah  I  was 
want  to  cross,  an'  he  came  fo'  me  an'  bawl,  I  say, 
'  Oh,  good  Massa,  keep  jumbie  away ; '  an'  he  no 
come  no  mo'. 

"  A  young  man,  he  courtin'  he  sweetheart ;  he  say, 
'You  lub  me?'     He  sweetheart  say,  'Yes.'     He  say, 


212  CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 

*Like  you  life  you  lub  me?'  *Yes.*  Well,  he  say, 
'  I  try  you  :  Ef  you  lub  me,  so  ;  ef  you  no  lub  me  an' 
no  mine  me,  I  kill  you  dead  to-day.'  So  he  go  to  ketch 
some  mouse  —  how  he  was  to  do  dat  I  do'  know  ;  but 
he  ketch  um  mice  an'  put  him  under  calbash  on  de 
groun'.  Den  he  call  um  sweetheart  an'  say,  'I  go  to 
leabe  you  now.  You  see  dat  calbash  !  Under  dat  cal- 
bash is  my  life,  my  lub.  Ef  you  lif  um  up  he  make 
um  go ;  ef  you  lub  me,  you  no  lif  um  up.'  So  he  go 
'way.  When  he  gone,  she  walk  all  'bout,  she  cannot 
to  stay  still ;  she  mus'  to  see  under  de  calbash ;  so  she 
lif  um  up.  Shi  I  out  pop  de  mice  an'  runned  away 
with  heself. 

"  When  time  come  fo'  dinnah,  her  lubah  come  back 
'gin.  She  set  down  sad,  sad,  sad ;  no  tell  him  howdy. 
He  say,  '  What  de  mattah?  '  She  no  speak.  He  say, 
* Kahna,  inyiga  '  (go  and  eat).  She  no  go.  He  say, 
*  Kaima,  goora^  (go  and  drink).  She  no  go.  She  no 
make  talk,  but  take  de  big  calbash,  and  go  to  de 
ribah  fo'  watah.  He  say,  'Ah,  my  lub  is  out  ob  de 
calbash.'  He  lif  um  up;  no  mice  no  pop  out  agin. 
Den  he  go  to  de  ribah  —  bam !  when  she  lif  up  de 
watah,  he  mash  he  head  with  stone. 

"  When  Carib  court  he  sweetheart  he  must  not.  to 
see  her  too  often,  only  but  once  a  montli ;  an'  den 
when  he  courtin'  he  must  to  sweep  all  de  yard  clean, 
clean,  clean,  by  first  cockcrow ;  ef  he  to  be  see  after 
dat  he  cannot  court  dat  girl  no  mo'.  Ef  he  ketch  fish 
he  must  to  bring  um  to  her  father's  house  ;  an'  he  no 
see  he  sweetheart,  only  lies  father ;  and  he  no  see  hes 
mother-law 'tall,  [great  deprivation.]  When  he  to  get 
married,  he  must  go  to  de  wood  an'  cut  down  tall 
gommier  an'  make  six-oar  boat." 


TRADITIONAL    LORE.  213 

The  ancient  marriage  ceremony  was  very  simple ; 
the  man  and  woman  dug  and  washed  some  cas- 
sava, boiled  it,  and  baked  very  thick  cakes.  From 
the  liquor,  boiled  down,  they  made  a  drink  which 
they  mixed  with  rum  and  resinous  leaves.  These 
things  were  placed  on  a  4able  around  which  were 
seated  the  man  and  woman,  her  father  and  mother, 
and  two  witnesses.  The  father  cut  the  cassava  into 
six  pieces,  and  handed  one  to  the  groom,  who  dipped 
it  in  the  liquor  and  gave  it  to  his  bride.  She  in  turn 
dipped  another  piece,  given  her  by  her  mother,  and 
gave  it  to  the  groom.  After  this  solemn  ceremony 
came  feasting  and  drinking  to  the  extent  the  groom's 
purse  would  allow. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  village  were  preparing  cas- 
sava, or  rather  they  were  making  "farine"  from  the 
cassava  root,  and  Captain  George  and  I  went  over  to 
the  river  where  the  women  were  at  work.  The  juice 
of  the  cassava  (  yatrofha  manihot)  is  very  poisonous. 
Cattle  and  children  often  die  from  eating  the  raw 
tubers,  or  drinking  water  containing  the  juice.  To 
prepare  it  for  use,  the  natives  scrape  off  the  dark 
outer  cuticle,  wash  the  tuber  thoroughly  and  grate  it; 
it  is  then  again  washed,  and  a  small  portion  at  a 
time  wrung  out  dry  in  a  cloth,  leaving  it  in  dry  cakes 
which  crumble.  It  is  then  sifted,  rubbed  through  a 
sieve  of  reeds  split  and  woven,  and  afterwards  baked 
in  very  thin  cakes  on  a  large  iron  plate,  over  a  hot 
fire.  These  cakes  will  keep  a  long  time ;  they  are 
hung  up  over  a  pole  or  line,  and  used  as  wanted. 
In  some  islands  the  people  make  more  of  the  farine, 
the  grated  root  dried  on  a  large  copper  or  iron  plate, 


214  CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 

being  well  stirred  the  while.  It  is  sometimes  put 
up  in  barrels,  and  always  commands  a  ready  sale. 
During  the  baking  process  the  poisonous  quality, 
which  is  volatile,  escapes,  and  the  people  eat  with 
impunity  these  roots  that  in  a  raw  state  would  prove 
poisonous.  The  juice  itself  is  made  into  a  drink  by 
being  boiled,  which  is  palatable  to  a  native. 

I  noticed  here  a  curious  method  in  use  to  press  the 
cassava  dry  after  it  was  grated ;  it  was  a  cone  of 
woven  reeds,  so  constructed  that,  when  filled  with 
cassava  and  hung  up  with  a  weight  attached  to  its 
lower  end,  a  continuous  and  equable  pressure  was 
applied  to  the  whole  mass.  This  cone  was  about  four 
feet  long,  and  perhaps  six  inches  across  at  the  mouth, 
or  larger  end,  and  is  an  invention  of  the  Caribs,  having 
been  found  in  use  by  them  by  the  earliest  voyagers. 

This  farine  supplies  the  place  of  bread  to  a  great 
extent,  the  natives  preferring  it  to  that  article,  and 
eating  it  dry  by  the  handful.  There  are  two  varieties, 
the  "sweet"  and  the  "bitter"  cassava;  but  the  latter, 
though  so  dangerous,  is  more  extensively  cultivated 
than  the  former,  which  is  harmless. 

After  inspecting  the  preparation  of  the  farine,  we 
adjourned  to  Captain  George's  cabin,  where  he  re- 
galed me  with  numerous  stories  of  the  achievements 
of  the  Caribs  during  the  war  with  the  English  in  the 
last  century.  He  firmly  believed  that  his  grandfather 
and  other  Caribs  owed  the  preservation  of  their  lives 
to  certain  charms  obtained  from  an  obeah  man  in  Mar- 
tinique. 

"One  time,  six  Carib  kill  um  white  gen'leman,  but 
dey  not  see  he  serbant  hide  in  de  bush.  When  serbant 
get  'way  he  tell  solaier,  *  Carib  kill  one  buckra,  my 


TRADITIONAL    LORE.  215 

massa.'  Well,  soldier  go  dah  ;  bam  !  bam  !  de  ball 
fall  all  'bout;  hit  um  leg,  hit  um  heel,  but  drop  right 
off,  and  no  hurt  Carib  'tall,  'tall,  fo'  dey  hab  obeah 
charm  to  keep  um  from  make  to  dead." 

This  allusion  to  the  strife  once  carried  on  between 
Carib  and  English  drew  out  the  entire  story  of  the 
war  in  which  the  Carib  power  was  forever  destroyed. 
In  1772,  the  best  part  of  the  Carib  lands  having  been 
seized,  the  Indians  commenced  hostilities,  but  soon 
came  to  terms.  By  treaty,  they  were  then  secured  in 
the  best  portion  of  their  lands,  and  kept  the  peace  until, 
six  years  later,  instigated  and  aided  by  the  French 
from  Martinique,  they  revolted.  Soon  the  entire  island 
was  in  French  possession,  without  much,  if  any,  blood- 
shed. In  1784,  the  island  was  restored  to  Great  Brit- 
ain by  the  treaty  of  Versailles.  Incited  by  the  French 
republicans,  in  1795*  the  Caribs  again  revolted,  de- 
feated the  troops  sent  against  them,  and  swarmed 
upon  the  heights  above  the  town.  By  the  opportune 
arrival  of  soldiers  and  marines  from  Barbados,  they 
were  driven  back,  but  again  assembled,  and  a  great 
fight  ensued,  in  which  the  English  were  at  first  beaten  ; 
but  finally,  by  aid  of  large  reinforcements,  the  Caribs 
were  defeated. 

Thus  the  war  went  on  with  varying  fortune  for  a 
year  and  a  half.  The  negroes  were  assembled,  ap- 
praised at  their  full  value,  their  owners  to  be  reim- 
bursed for  any  killed,  and  sent  against  the  Caribs ; 
but  these  "forest  rangers,"  as  they  were  called,  though 
they  proved  very  active  and  useful  in  destroying  the 
canoes  of  the  enemy,  and  in  bringing  in  women  and 
children  from  the  mountains  after  the  warriors  had 
surrendered,  did  little  good  service.     Doubtless  they 


2l6  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

were  animated  with  the  high  resolve  of  saving  the 
colony  the  expense  of  paying  their  owners. 

At  one  time,  having  been  driven  from  Owia,  a 
point  on  the  north-east  side  of  the  island,  the  Caribs 
executed  a  masterly  retreat  over  the  volcano,  to  the 
Caribbean  coast,  and  committed  great  ravages ;  a 
party  sent  against  them  there  was  defeated.  In  all 
their  battles  they  showed  consummate  skill  and  great 
bravery,  seizing  upon  the  most  advantageous  posi- 
tions, fortifying  them  and  holding  them  to  the  last. 
The  English  were  at  first  unfortunate  in  their  gen- 
erals. One  of  them,  "Sir  Paulus  -^milius  Irving, 
Bart.,"  who  was  pursuing  the  Caribs  with  a  large 
body  of  troops,  became  frightened  by  a  six-pounder 
ball  passing  near  him,  and  ordered  a  retreat.  Sub- 
sequently the  English  were  nearly  cut  off,  and  lost 
several  hundred  men  under  this  gallant  general. 

The  Indians  understood  and  practiced  the  trick  of 
posting  their  best  shots  in  the  tall  trees,  for  the  purpose 
of  picking  off  the  officers.  At  last  there  arrived  the 
famous  General  Abercrombie,  fresh  from  his  capture 
of  St.  Lucia,  who  pushed  the  French  and  Caribs  so 
hard,  with  his  army  of  four  thousand  men,  that  they 
were  obliged  to  surrender.  The  French  and  colored, 
ofTicers  and  soldiers,  were  released  on  parole,  with 
the  privilege  of  returning  to  their  own  island ;  but 
the  poor  Caribs,  thus  abandoned,  were  allowed  only 
unconditional  surrender.  Refusing  these  terms,  most 
of  them  fled  to  the  mountains,  and  in  the  dense  forests 
found  shelter  for  a  long  time,  defeating  several  de- 
tachments of  troops  sent  against  them. 

Deprived  of  crops,  and  all  provisions  such  as  a 
successful  foray  could  obtain,  they  were  gradually 


TRADITIONAL    LORE.  217 

gathered  in,  by  use  of  force  and  by  the  necessities 
of  their  situation,  until,  of  men,  women,  and  children, 
nearly  five  thousand  were  captured.  These  were  re- 
moved to  the  small  island  of  Balliceaux,  off  the  coast 
of  St.  Vincent,  deprived  of  canoes  and  arms,  and  kept 
there  for  months.  Captain  George  declared  that  the 
English  government  aimed  to  destroy  as  many  of 
them  as  possible,  and  caused  lime  to  be  mixed  in  their 
bread  ;  but  of  course  this  was  false,  and  probably  arose 
from  the  fact  that  the  water,  being  impregnated  with 
lime,  caused  much  sickness  and  death. 

In  February,  1797,  they  were  all  carried  to  the 
island  of  Ruatan,  off  the  Honduras  coast.  When  the 
vessels  arrived  there,  it  was  found  necessary  to  dis- 
lodge a  party  of  Spaniards  in  possession,  who  had 
built  a  fort.  After  a  hard  fight  it  was  taken,  and  the 
Caribs  left  to  the  mercy  of  whomsoever  should  appear 
against  them.  The  Carib  lands  were  thus  left  deso- 
late ;  they  were  declared  forfeited,  surveyed  and  sold. 
In  1805,  the  few  remaining  Caribs  were  pardoned,  and 
a  tract  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  near  Morne 
Ronde,  was  granted  them,  this  territory  not  being  con- 
sidered fertile  nor  available  for  sugar-land.  Here  the 
majority  of  the  Indians  have  lived  in  peace  ever  since. 

It  appeared  strange  to  me  that  this  settlement  at 
Morne  Ronde  was  composed  almost  wholly  of  Black 
Caribs,  the  few  families  of  pure  Yellow  Caribs  living 
on  the  eastern  shore  and.  paying  rent  for  land  once  in 
full  possession  of  their  ancestors.  It  may  have  been 
that  the  innate  cowardice  of  the  Black  Caribs,  born 
of  their  negro  blood,  prevented  them  from  taking  an 
active  part  in  the  war,  and  may  have  induced  them 
to  seek  the  protection  of  the  English.   The  "  Rangers," 


2l8  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

also,  who  scoured  the  woods  after  the  Caribs  were 
subdued  and  scattered,  and  committed  many  murders, 
may  have  been  moved  to  spare  people  so  much  re- 
sembling themselves. 

How  similar  has  been  the  fate  of  the  Caribs  to 
that  of  the  Seminoles  of  the  Southern  States  !  At  the 
beginning  of  the  present  century,  the  latter  were  peace- 
ful and  happy,  cultivating  their  gardens  with  an  in- 
telligence that  shows  them  to  have  been  superior 
people.  They,  too,  were  driven  to  war,  stripped  of 
their  property,  and  hunted  by  white  troops.  Their 
resistance  lasted  for  seven  years,  but  in  the  end,  nearly 
all  were  captured  and  transported  far  from  their  homes. 
Of  them  a  remnant  lingers  in  the  hunting-grounds  of 
their  fathers,  engaged,  like  the  present  Carib,  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  With  them,  too,  the  negro  found  a 
home,  married  with  them,  and  to  them  communicated 
the  curse  of  his  race. 

The  memory  of  the  war  of  his  ancestors  stirred 
Captain  George  to  wild  song,  and  his  daughters 
danced  in  the  moonlight  while  he  made  music  on  a 
drum  hollowed  from  a  log  and  covered  with  cow-skin, 
chanting  the  while  a  song,  of  which  I  can  remember 
but  two  lines : 

"  Ncech-i-s^oo,  bah-li,  boo  ni, 
Leh-bi  chi,  wei-i-ga-mah,  ah'-wah-si." 

He  attended  me  to  my  cabin,  late  in  the  evening, 
and  as  he  had  imbibed  freely  of  distilled  cane-juice 
(vulgarly  known  as  rum)  he  was  very  confidential, 
and  communicated  to  me  the  important  secret  that,  in 
a  cave  on  one  of  the  islands  to  which  the  Caribs  were 
transported,  there  was  a  treasure.  Of  the  exact  nature 
of  this  ''treasure"  he  did  not  inform  me,  but  left  me 


A   MISADVENTURE.  219 

to  infer  that  it  might  be  gold,  or  might  be  of  value  only 
to  the  archaeologist.  To  this  latter  opinion  I  was  in- 
clined when  told  that  it  belonged  to  the  oldest  Indian 
of  the  nation,  who,  rather  than  allow  it  to  be  taken 
by  the  English,  buried  it  in  the  cave.  I  inferred  from 
this  that  it  must  be  of  the  nature  of  a  charm  or  token, 
such  as  the  Indians,  when  living  in  primitive  simplic- 
ity, carried  about  them. 

Nearly  three  months  later  I  visited  the  island 
where  the  Caribs  had  been  incarcerated  previous  to 
their  transportation,  and  as  my  discovery  there  strong- 
ly verifies  my  Indian  friend's  story,  it  may  be  as  well 
in  this  connection  to  relate  my  adventures  during  that 
short  trip. 

The  island  of  Balliceaux,  the  scene  of  Carib  cap- 
tivity, is  about  twelve  miles  from  St.  Vincent,  and  is 
one  of  the  northernmost  of  the  chain  of  islands  and 
islets  known  as  the  Grenadines.  It  is  about  a  mile  in 
length  and  perhaps  an  eighth  in  breadth,  rocky  and 
dry,  covered  for  the  most  part  with  a  sparse  growth 
of  trees.  It  is  owned  entirely  by  one  of  the  largest 
land  proprietors  in  St.  Vincent,  Mr.  Cheesman,  who 
has  stocked  it  with  goats,  guinea-fowl,  and  deer,  in- 
tending it  as  a  preserve,  to  which  he  occasionally 
resorts  for  sport  with  some  friends. 

As  his  guest,  in  company  with  a  dozen  more  valiant 
Scotchmen  and  Creoles,  I  left  the  blue  hills  of  St. 
Vincent,  one  morning  in  February,  for  Balliceaux. 
We  landed  from  the  drogher  on  a  sandy  beach,  above 
which  drooped  a  solitary  palm,  and  wended  our  way 
to  the  comfortable  house,  where  we  were  met  by  the 
manager,  and  to  which,  later,  our  store  of  provender 
was  transported.     Our  generous  host  understood  well 


220  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

the  art  of  entertaining  guests,  though  it  is  almost 
superfluous  to  say  this  of  any  West  Indian,  either 
adopted  or  to  the  manor  born,  and  as  soon  as  our  feet 
touched  the  soil  of  his  preserve  we  felt  the  truth  of 
his  assurance,  that  all  was  ours  as  well  as  his. 

I  searched  the  shore  for  traces  of  the  Caribs,  but  was 
unrewarded  save  by  a  few  shards  of  pottery ;  however, 
I  was  promised  a  guide  for  the  morrow,  who  could  pilot 
me  to  a  sepulchre  of  skulls.  Alas  !  that  morrow  did 
not  bring  its  promised  pleasure,  and  those  skulls  may 
yet  linger  for  some  other  explorer,  for  aught  I  know 
to  the  contrary. 

Close  in  sight,  about  two  miles  distant,  rose  the  islet 
of  Battowia.  It  was  little  more  than  a  huge  rock 
several  hundred  feet  in  height,  and  clad  with  vegeta- 
tion on  its  western  slope.  In  the  eastern  cliffs  was 
the  cave  which  some  of  the  Indians  had  occupied,  and 
which  we  desired  to  explore.  After  early  coffee  the 
morning  succeeding  our  arrival  at  Balliceaux,  three 
of  us  embarked  in  a  "  Moses-boat "  for  Battowia. 

The  Moses-boat  is  a  peculiarly  strong  boat  built  for 
transporting  sugar  and  other  heavy  freight  through 
the  heavy  surf  of  the  eastern  shore.  In  shape  it  is 
something  like  the  famous  craft  in  which  those  "  three 
wise  men  of  Gotham"  departed  on  their  sea-voyage. 
It  is  very  buoyant,  and  owes  its  great  strength  to 
numerous  knees  and  thick  planking.  Regarding  its 
name,  whether  it  was  named  for  Moses  the  great 
"lawgiver,"  or  for  the  man  who  built  the  first  of  the 
kind,  will  forever  remain  a  mystery. 

In  the  Moses-boat  we  embarked :  the  sea  was 
smooth,  and  we  made  the  passage  without  mishap. 
There  were  four  of  us  "buckras,"  or  white  men,  and 


A    MISADVENTURE.  221 

an  equal  number  of  negroes.  The  negroes  pulled 
the  boat,  and  the  whites  encouraged  the  negroes,  and 
withal  we  made  a  very  satisfactory  voyage.  Having 
secured  the  boat  a  little  way  from  shore,  we  marched 
up  the  slope  toward  the  summit.  Our  host  had  pro- 
vided a  substantial  breakfast,  to  be  eaten  at  the  cave, 
and  the  men  staggered  under  divers  kinds  of  nourish- 
ment contained  in  bottles  with  wired  corks,  a  tub  of 
ice  and  other  necessaries. 

Soon  the  bushes  grew  so  thickly  that  we  were 
obliged  to  ''  cutlass  "  our  way,  and  took  turns  in  cut- 
ting out  a  path  with  the  great,  sword-like  knives  of 
the  blacks.  It  was  hot,  weary  work,  and  we  made 
slow  progress.  C.  started  up  a  great  iguana,  quite 
five  feet  in  length,  which  was  basking  on  the  rocks. 
Part  of  our  party  got  lost  in  the  thick  growth,  and  this 
delayed  us  so  that  it  was  well  toward  noon  when  we 
arrived  at  the  ridge  and  felt  the  cool  breezes  from  the 
east. 

After  a  light  lunch,  we  scattered  down  the  cliffs  in 
search  of  the  cave.  A  whoop  from  one  of  our  attend- 
ants drew  us  half-way  down  the  precipice,  where  we 
were  introduced  to  a  deep  fissure-like  hole  in  the  rock, 
hidden  by  trees.  Crawling  carefully  over  the  loose 
rock,  three  hundred  feet  above  the  surf  beating  at  the 
base  of  the  cliff",  we  entered  the  cave  and  prepared  to 
explore  it.  A  glance  showed  that  it  was  not  large  nor 
deep,  and  we  soon  found  that  it  led  in  only  a  hundred 
feet  before  the  crevice  grew  so  narrow  that  it  could 
not  be  followed ;  but  we  were  satisfied  that  it  led 
down  to  the  sea  as  we  could  distinctly  hear  the  boom- 
ing of  the  waves. 

Along  each  side  of  the  cavern  were  hollows,  evi- 


222  CAMPS   IN  THE   CARIBBEES. 

dently  artificial,  begrimed  with  smoke,  as  though  they 
had  been  used  as  fireplaces.  We  found  no  living 
things  but  bats  and  tarantulas ;  the  former  flew  about 
in  great  numbers.  While  my  companions  were  en- 
gaged in  the  farther  end  of  the  cave,  I  groped  among 
the  loose  fragments  of  stone  near  the  mouth,  where, 
one  of  the  men  told  me,  an  Indian  chair  had  been 
found  some  fifteen  years  before.  Carefully  displacing 
the  stone  chippings,  I  at  last  found  what  seemed  to  be 
an  image  of  stone  ;  but  scraping  with  a  knife  revealed 
that  it  was  of  wood.  It  was  a  tortoise,  four  inches 
long  and  two  and  one-half  broad,  curiously  carved. 
Two  holes,  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  are  bored 
through  back  and  breast ;  the  back,  upper  part  of  the 
head,  and  the  throat,  are  covered  with  incised  figures, 
and  the  eyes  carefully  carved  hollows,  as  if  for  the 
reception  of  some  foreign  substance. 

There  is  little  doubt  that  this  image  once  belonged 
to  an  Indian  living  many  years  ago.  I  choose  to  con- 
sider it  a  zcmi^  having  as  my  authority  the  account 
given  in  Irving's  "  Columbus,"  of  the  finding  of  simi- 
lar objects  by  the  Spaniards,  among  the  natives  of 
Haiti.  Speaking  of  their  religion,  he  says  :  "  They 
believed  in  one  Supreme  Being,  who  inhabited  the 
sky,  who  was  immortal,  omnipotent,  and  invisible. 
They  never  addressed  their  worship  directly  to  him, 
but  to  inferior  deities,  called  zcmes^  a  kind  of  messen- 
gers or  mediators.  Each  cacique,  each  family  and 
each  individual,  had  a  particular  zemi  as  a  tutelary 
deity,  whose  image,  generally  of  a  hideous  form,  was, 
placed  about  their  houses,  carved  on  their  furniture, 
and  sometimes  bound  to  their  foreheads  when  they 
went  to   battle.     They  believed   their   zemes   to   be 


A    MISADVENTURE. 


223 


transferable  with  all  their  beneficial  powers ;  they 
therefore  often  stole  them  from  each  other,  and,  when 
the  Spaniards  arrived,  hid  them  away  lest  they  should 
be  taken  by  the  strangers.  They  believed  that  these 
zemes  presided  over  every  object  in  nature.  Some 
had  sway  over  the  elements,  causing  sterile  or  abun- 
dant years  ;  some  governed  the  seas  and  forests,  the 
springs  and  fountains,  like  the  nereids,  the  dryads, 
and  satyrs  of  antiquity.  Once  a  year  each  cacique 
held  a  feast  in  honor  of  his  zemi,  when  his  subjects 


M  J 


formed  a  procession  to  the  temple ;  the  married  men 
and  women  decorated  with  their  most  precious  orna- 
ments, the  young  females  entirely  naked,  carrying 
baskets  of  flowers  and  cakes,  and  singing  as  they 
advanced." 

In  the  "Smithsonian  Report"  for  1876  is  an  elabo- 
rate article  describing,  with  many  engravings,  a  col- 
lection of  antiquities  from  Porto  Rico,  containing 
several  Indian  "stools"  of  stone  and  wood.  These 
stools  are  ornamented  with  a  head-piece  resembling 
this  tortoise,  and  even  the  eye-sockets  have  the  ap- 


224  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

pearance  of  having  been  hollowed  out  for  the  recep- 
tion of  jewels  or  bright  metal ;  as  the  author  of  the 
article  mentioned  above  remarks :  "  In  the  wooden 
objects,  as  in  the  stone  one,  the  eyes  excavated  for 
precious  stones  are  plainly  visible,  but  the  stones  are 
wanting."  ' 

The  same  author  quotes  Herrera's  account  of  the 
visit  of  Columbus  to  Cuba,  when  a  party,  having 
penetrated  to  the  interior,  returned  with  glowing  ac- 
counts of  their  reception  by  the  Indians.  They  found 
a  village  where  each  house  contained  a  whole  gen- 
eration. "  The  prime  men  came  out  to  meet  them,  led 
them  by  the  arms,  and  lodged  them  in  one  of  the  new 
houses,  causing  them  to  sit  down  on  seats  made  of 
a  solid  piece  of  wood  in  the  shape  of  a  beast  with  very 
short  legs  and  the  tail  held  up,  the  head  before,  with 
eyes  and  ears  of  gold." 

This  relic  of  antiquity  was  undoubtedly  taken  by 
the  Caribs  from  their  enemies  of  Haiti,  and  brought 
here  by  the  captor,  or  it  may  have  belonged  to  a 
captive  Arowak  living  among  the  Caribs.  The  same 
old  negro  who  found  the  "  stool "  was  of  our  part}', 
but  he  could  not  afford  any  further  light  except  to  say, 
"  Me  tink  him  b'long  to  Injun  seat." 

Beneath  the  cave,  a  hundred  feet  farther  down  the 
cliff,  was  a  grotto  sparkling  with  lime  crystals.  In 
descending  to  this,  we  found  some  great  birds,  which 
are  seldom  seen  except  high  in  air,  sailing  above  the 
ocean,  the  Tropic-birds  {Phaclkon  cethcrcus')  ;  and 
they  sat  so  quietly  upon  the  shelves  of  the  cliff,  per- 
mitting us  to  approach,  that  at  first  we  took  Ihem  for 
young  birds.  We  soon  were  convinced  that  they 
were  adult  birds  by  finding  some  eggs  beneath  them, 


A    MISADVENTURE.  225 

and  by  the  strength  of  tlieir  powerful  beaks  as  they 
pecked  at  us  when  we  inserted  our  hands  into  their 
retreats  to  pull  them  out.  Dotting  the  cliff  here  and 
there,  and  floating  above  our  heads,  with  their  long 
tails,  of  but  two  cylindrical  feathers  each,  fluttering 
in  the  wind,  they  formed  a  graceful  element  in  the 
picture  spread  before  us  from  the  ridge. 

At  the  summit,  where  we  had  left  our  lunch,  we 
exerted  ourselves  to  finish  the  contents  of  baskets  and 
bottles,  and  so  successful  were  we  that  nothing  was 
left  to  burden  our  men  down  the  slope  but  a  few 
chicken-bones  and  a  little  water.  Then  we  hastened 
down  to  the  shore,  anxious  to  join  our  friends  on  the 
other  island,  and  rejoicing  in  our  good  luck. 

As  we  turned  the  great  rock  which  hid  the  little 
cove  in  which  the  boat  had  been  left,  we  were  greeted 
by  a  loud  cry  :  "  De  boat  done  mash,  sah  !  "  A  fact 
we  verified  a  few  minutes  later ;  for  there  floated  the 
boat,  its  rail  just  above  water,  thumping  on  the  rocks. 

It  was  growing  late,  and  there  was  no  time  to  be 
lost.  Our  men  stripped  and  plunged  into  the  water 
and  commenced  bailing  the  boat,  but  it  was  labor 
thrown  away;  then,  by  direction  of  Mr.  C,  they 
hauled  the  boat  up  upon  the  pebbles  of  the  narrow 
beach  at  the  base  of  the  cliff',  and  turned  her  over  — 
no  easy  work  —  and  we  were  all  obliged  to  assist.  As 
the  heavy  boat  came  down,  bottom  up,  it  caught  the 
ankle  of  the  manager  and  wedged  it  fast  against  a 
rock.  In  releasing  him,  and  hauling  the  boat  into 
position,  we  all  got  wet ;  but  this  did  not  dampen  our 
spirits.  Pieces  of  board  were  nailed  on  with  nails 
extracted  from  fragments  of  a  wreck,  pants  and  shirts 
were  torn  up  and  calked  into  the  seams,  together  with 

IS 


226  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

such  moss  as  we  could  find,  and  then  we  launched  the 
boat  again,  with  four  men  at  the  oars  and  two  men 
bailing,  and  started. 

We  had  not  gone  a  gun-shot  from  shore  before  the 
water  was  up  to  the  thwarts,  and  the  boat  fast  sink- 
ing. The  seas  met  and  howled,  running  up  to  the 
rocks  in  huge,  white-crested  breakers,  and  it  became 
evident  that  we  could  not  possibly  survive  the  passage 
across.  Reluctantly,  our  captain  gave  the  order  to 
go  back ;  we  reached  the  little  beach  just  as  the  water 
touched  the  rail,  jumped  out  and  waded  ashore.  Some 
sharks,  whose  triangular  fins  we  could  see  cutting  the 
water  outside  the  rocks,  were  evidently  disappointed, 
and  manifested  their  disapprobation  by  darting  in  close 
to  the  boat,  much  alarming  the  negroes. 

All  hope  of  escape  by  n>eans  of  the  boat  was 
abandoned,  and  we  turned  our  attention  to  the  pros- 
pect of  obtaining  help  from  our  friends  on  the  other 
island.  A  portion  of  a  sail  was  attached  to  an  oar 
and  held  aloft  on  a  high  point,  as  a  signal  of  distress. 
It  was  nearly  dark  by  this  time  and  the  hour  for  dinner, 
for  the  preparation  of  which  Mr.  C.'s  cook  had  been 
all  day  busy.  We  turned  to  our  stores  and  discovered 
nothing  but  the  chicken-bones  and  a  tin  of  sardines. 
There  was  not  a  drink  of  water  apiece,  and  we  re- 
verted regretfully  to  those  bottles  we  had  emptied  so 
lavishly  a  few  hours  before. 

Darkness  inclosed  us,  and  we- sought  a  couch  on 
the  bank  ;  my  game-basket  served  me  for  a  pillow,  as 
it  had  often  done  before,  and  a  heap  of  grass  for  a 
bed.  Fortunately  the  night  was  warm  and  dewless, 
and  had  it  not  been'  for  the  groans  of  Frazer,  whose 
ankle   was    badly    crushed,    we   should    have    slept 


A    MISADVENTURE.  227 

soundly  ;  as  it  was,  we  lay  awake  most  of  the  time 
and  counted  the  stars. 

Very  late  in  the  evening  we  were  aroused  by  a 
shouting,  and  became  aware  that  our  friends  had 
sought  us.  They  had  all  embarked  on  the  drogher, 
after  becoming  satisfied  that  some  accident  had  be- 
fallen us,  and,  after  anchoring  off  our  island,  had  sent 
a  boat  to  seek  for  us.  The  night  was  pitchy  dark, 
and  the  heavy  seas  clashed  so  fearfully  that  to  attempt 
a  landing  would  have  been  certain  disaster;  so  we 
warned  our  friends  back,  to  wait  for  us  till  morning. 

Our  voices  seemed  drowned  in  the  roar  of  the 
breakers,  but  the  regular  click  of  the  oars,  growing 
fainter  and  fainter,  told  us  that  we  had  been  heard. 
Frazer  told  us,  between  his  moanings,  that  sometimes 
it  is  impossible  to  land  for  weeks,  just  about  this 
season  of  the  3'ear,  and  we  fell  to  calculating  upon 
the  chances  of  subsisting  upon  iguanas  and  wild 
goats  for  a  few  days,' notwithstanding  the  proximity 
of  our  friends.  On  the  morrow,  however,  we  safely 
embarked,  though  hungry,  weary,  and  exceeding 
thirsty.  Our  more  fortunate  companions  had  indeed 
devoured  the  dinner,  while  we  were  fasting  on  that 
desert  rock,  but  there  yet  remained  sufficient  to  stay 
our  needs ;  and  they  coaxed  us  with  toddies  and 
punches  and  brisk  champagne,  until  we  forgot  our 
trials  and  remembered  only  our  triumphs. 

Ever  memorable  will  be  that  nigfht  on  the  beach  — 
the  second  time  in  a  twelvemonth  I  had  fallen  a 
victim  to  Neptune's  rage  —  as  that  in  which  I  for  the 
first  time  saw  the  Southern  Cross.  As  the  nicjht 
waned,  and  the  cross  assumed  an  upright  position 
upon  the  horizon,  there  came  to  mind  that  passage 


228  CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 

from  one  of  the  saddest  of  romances,  in  which  the  old 
servant  warns  Paul  and  Virginia  of  the  approach  of 
midnight,  as  indicated  by  the  position  of  the  cross.* 
That  glorious  constellation,  watched  by  the  hapless 
lovers  in  the  far-off  Mauritius,  I  saw  gleaming  above 
the  Caribbean  Sea,  north  of  and  nearer  the  equator, 
as  I  lay  upon  the  beach.  By  a  rare  coincidence,  it 
hung  in  the  sky  above  a  cathedral-shaped  rock  known 
to  the  natives  as  Church  Island. 

*  "  ///  est  tard,  il  est  minuit ;  la  Croix  du  Sud  est  droite  sur 
Phorizon."  —  Paul  et  Virginie. 


ON    A   SUGAR   ESTATE.  229 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

A   MONTH    ON   A    SUGAR    ESTATE. 

OUT  OF  THE  FOREST.  —  INTO  A  SICK-BED.  —  MY  GOOD  ANGEL.  — 
CONVALESCENCE.  —  RUTLAND  VALE.  —  THE  HAPPY  VALLEY.  — 
NOCTURNAL  NEIGHBORS.  —  THE  LABOR  QUESTION.  —  A  PLANT- 
ER'S TRIALS.  —  COOLIE  IMMIGRATION.  —  THE  NEGRO,  RETURN- 
ING TO  SAVAGERY.  —  A  SELF-APPOINTED  PHYSICIAN.  —  GOV- 
ERNMENT HOUSE.  —  TREES  OF  THE  TROPICS.  —  BREAD-FRUIT 
AND  COCOA-PALM.  —  FIRST  EXPERIENCE  WITH  BREAD-FRUIT. 
—  ITS  APPEARANCE. — TASTE.  —  HISTORY  OF  ITS  INTRODUC- 
TION. —  ABUNDANCE  IN  ST.  VINCENT.  —  THE  PALMS,  THEIR 
GREAT  BEAUTY  AND  UTILITY.  —  COCOA-PALM,  PALMISTE,  GROO- 
GROO  AND  GRIS-GRIS,  ARECA  AND  MOUNTAIN  PALMS.  —  THE 
VINE   WITH   PERFORATED   LEAVES.  —  THE   INDIAN   MAIDEN. 

ON  the  morning  of  the  twentieth  of  December  I 
cantered  into  town  from  Carib  Countiy ;  at 
night  I  la}'  stretched  out  with  fever,  having  galloped, 
as  it  were,  from  the  woods  to  my  bed.  For  ten  days 
I  had  been  suffering  from  the  effects  of  a  severe  cold, 
caught  in  the  cave  on  the  volcano.  In  two  weeks 
there  remained  but  a  wretched  apology  of  my  former 
self,  and  the  doctor  ordered  that  I  remove  what  little 
there  was  left  of  me  to  the  country  as  soon  as  I  could 
walk,  or  mount  a  horse. 

The  days  passed  wearily.  I  had  exhausted  all  the 
resources  of  the  room ;  had  watched  my  favorite 
lizard  as  he   caught  flies  on  the  window-pane,  and 


230  CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 

the  great,  naked-limbed  spider,  that  every  morning 
caught  a  cockroach  and  dragged  it  to  my  head- 
board, where  he  spent  the  rest  of  the  day  in  absorb- 
ing its  juices.  The  question  of  convalescence  seemed 
a  doubtful  one,  until,  one  day,  I  was  startled  by  the 
sound  of  a  cheery  voice,  and  my  good  angel  burst 
into  the  room  like  a  mountain  breeze. 

"What  !  down  with  fever?  This  won't  do;  can't 
get  well  here  ;  must  go  down  to  my  estate."  And  he 
literally  dragged  me  forth,  assisted  me  to  dress,  packed 
up  some  clothes  and  my  gun-case,  and  carried  me  on 
board  the  little  steamer  at  the  landing.  At  his  beach 
a  horse  was  waiting,  and  he  placed  me  in  the  saddle 
and  led  the  way  on  his  own  bay  mare.  Clinging  to 
the  saddle,  I  rode  slowly  up  the  cane-covered  slopes 
to  the  house,  perched  on  a  spur  commanding  the 
valley,  surrounded  by  bread-fruit  and  almond  trees. 
There  I  was  taken  in  charge  by  my  friend's  good  wife, 
and  established  at  the  house  until  fully  recovered. 

"  Rutland  Vale,"  to  which  my  friend  had  carried 
me,  is  a  long,  narrow  valley,  extending  from  the 
Caribbean  Sea  to  the  mountains,  nearly  two  miles. 
The  estate  occupies  the  whole  of  this  valley,  and  is 
the  best  cultivated  of  any  on  the  Leeward  coast, 
being,  in  the  season  at  which  I  visited  it,  one  waving 
mass  of  cane,  filling  the  valley  and  covering  the  'oil- 
lowy  ridges. 

The  memory  of  ihose  sunny  days,  in  which  my 
strength  came  back  to  me,  is  the  pleasantest,  the 
brightest,  of  the  many  delightful  reminiscences  of 
that  lovely  island.  My  good  host,  James  Milne,  a 
native  of  BamfT,  in  Scotland  (celebrated  as  the  home 
of    Tam    Edward,    the   "Scottish    naturahst"),    had 


ON    A    SUGAR    ESTATE.  231 

resided  on  this  estate,  as  manager,  for  twenty  years. 
In  all  that  time  he  had  been  sick  but  once,  though 
exposed  to  the  morning  mists  and  mid-day  sun,  and, 
in  the  season  of  crops,  sometimes  engaged  in  the  mill- 
house  whole  nights  at  a  time,  without  rest.  Sur- 
rounded by  a  large  family  of  healthy  children,  who 
enjoyed  without  stint  the  blessings  of  the  delightful 
climate,  my  friend  reposed  in  this  valley  with  his  flocks 
and  herds  in  almost  patriarchal  simplicity.  He  was  a 
man  of  educated  tastes,  and  had  gathered  about  him 
a  large  and  well-selected  library,  which  proved  a 
blessing  in  the  heat  of  the  day,  when  it  was  not  pos- 
sible to  stir  out  of  doors. 

At  that  season,  January,  the  sun  sinks  behind  the 
low  ridge  that  barely  hides  the  sea  before  six  o'clock. 
Hardly  has  it  given  its  last  wink,  and  left  the  valley 
in  cool  shade,  when  the  bats  come  out  in  large  num- 
bers, taking  the  place  of  the  swifts  of  the  day-time, 
who,  morning  and  evening,  and  after  every  shower, 
are  skimming  the  cane-fields  and  circling  swiftly 
about  the  trees  and  buildings.  Thus  the  aerial  in- 
sect world  is  left  without  rest  from  incessant  pursuit ; 
scarcely  has  one  class  of  enemies  departed  than  an- 
other comes  forward,  waging  a  nocturnal  and  diurnal 
warfare  that  must  be  very  destructive,  when  carried 
on  with  so  much  vigor  and  by  so  many  foes. 

One  evening  my  attention  was  called  to  some  bats, 
or  birds,  which  appeared  only  when  every  trace  of 
twilight  had  faded,  and  circled  rapidly  around  an 
almond  tree,  either  after  insects  or  nuts.  After  one 
or  two  turns,  perhaps  poising  themselves  on  a  twig 
a  few  seconds,  they  would  dart  off,  returning  in  ten 
minutes  or  so  to  make  their  circuits  about  the  tree. 


232  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

They  increased  in  number  and  frequency  of  visits  as 
darkness  deepened.  After  waiting  several  evenings 
on  the  veranda,  I  secured  a  quick  shot  at  one,  just  as 
it  hovered  above  the  top  of  the  tree.  Long  had  I 
waited ;  the  wind  had  died  away,  leaving  the  trees 
rigid  as  stone,  every  leaf  motionless ;  the  depths 
among  the  leaves  were  impenetrable,  but  against  the 
sky  I  could  discern  a  dark  object.  Directly  I  had 
fired,  down  dropped  a  large,  dark  body  ;  but  though 
we  searched  a  long  time  with  a  lantern  we  could  not 
find  it  in  the  long  guinea-grass ;  and  the  hogs  had 
been  through  the  place  in  the  morning  long  before  I 
was  up.  Three  months  later  I  obtained  the  same 
animals  in  Tobago,  and  found  that  they  were  frugiv- 
orous  bats ;  in  the  latter  island  they  were  robbing  a 
spadillo  tree  of  its  soft  fruit. 

With  a  bread-fruit  and  a  strip  of  salt  fish,  the  Ethi- 
opian is  happy,  is  contented ;  so  long  as  bread-fruits 
grow  and  fishes  swim  the  sea,  so  long  will  the  labor 
question  remain  a  perplexing  one  to  the  planter.  In 
the  time  of  slavery  the  planters  of  the  West  Indies  set 
out  a  great  many  bread-fruit  trees,  so  that  at  the  pres- 
ent time  they  may  be  found  wild  in  the  forest.  That 
their  introduction  has  been  a  questionable  benefit  to 
the  islands,  nearly  every  one  viewing  the  subject  with 
unprejudiced  eye  is  inclined  to  believe.  The  negro 
will  not  work  while  he  can  obtain  his  bread  so  easily. 
He  will  endure  hunger  and  inferior  food  in  preference 
to  plenty  and  work. 

To  aid  the  planters  in  their  difficulty,  natives  of  the 
East  Indies  were  imported  as  laborers.  These  came 
out  indentured  for  a  term  of  years,  generally  five,  to 
work  at  a  stated  price  per  day.    The  planter  is  obliged 


ON   A    SUGAR    ESTATE.  233 

to  provide  a  physician  and  to  keep  a  large  stock  of 
drugs  constantly  at  hand.  The  Coolie  is  protected  by 
government  to  such  an  extent  that  the  planter  is  really 
the  slave  of  the  "  laborer."  Upon  the  slightest  pre- 
text the  Coolie  can  call  his  manager  before  a  magis- 
trate. If  he  does  not  choose  to  work,  he  can  remain 
in  his  house  on  plea  of  sickness  ;  if  the  manager  or 
overseer  uses  fore*  in  trying  to  make  the  laborer  per- 
form his  task,  he  is  at  once  summoned  before  the 
governor,  imprisoned  or  fined.  For  a  few  years  the 
Coolies  worked  well ;  they  are  sprightly  intelligent 
people ;  and  if  the  anti-slavery  party,  in  power  in 
England,  had  not  hedged  the  planters  about  with  so 
many  restrictions,  prosperity  might  have  attended  their 
efforts,  ruined  estates  might  have  been  reclaimed,  and 
these  fertile  islands  once  more  have  blessed  the  world 
with  their  products.  But  the  result  has  shown  how 
a  party  of  fanatics  can  pervert  power  that,  used 
judiciously,  might  have  brought  about  a  new  era  of 
prosperity. 

The  Coolie,  though  naturally  docile,  was  intelligent, 
and  saw  his  opportunity  ;  and  the  planter  now  is  not 
much  better  off  than  when  he  was  wholly  dependent 
upon  negro  labor.  Wages,  to  be  sure,  are  ridiculously 
low,  though  the  profits  of  cane  culture  do  not  seem  to 
warrant  the  payment  of  much  higher  rates.  Twenty 
cents  per  day  ;  for  women  sixteen  cents  ;  for  children 
four  cents  and  six  cents  per  day.  Some  male  la- 
borers, by  extra  work,  can  earn  thirty-six  cents,  and 
those  who  have  "  tasks "  assigned  them  as  a  day's 
work  can  finish  by  noon,  and  prefer  lying  idle  the 
rest  of  the  day  to  increasing  their  wages. 

Even   upon  this  small  pay  the  negroes  live  com- 


234  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

fortably  ;  two  cents  per  day,  I  have  heard  it  stated, 
will  keep  them  in  fish  —  the  only  article  the  poorest 
of  them  buy.  In  the  mountains  they  have  their  pro- 
vision-grounds, where  they  cultivate  yams,  plantains, 
sweet  potatoes,  cassava,  and  bananas,  and  to  which 
they  devote  every  Saturday.  Sunday,  with  them,  is 
a  day  of  recreation.  Thus  the  estates  get  from  their 
laborers  but  five  half-worked  days  in  a  week.  To  the 
staple  article  of  salt  fish  there  should  be  added  another 
which  they  purchase  when  impossible  to  be  obtained 
otherwise  —  the  native  rum  of  the  island,  which  is 
their  stay  and  strength. 

The  Coolies  are  even  more  frugal  than  the  negroes, 
and  soon  acquire  money  enough  to  purchase  goats  and 
cattle,  which  they  pasture  in  some  obscure  corner  of 
the  estate.  Upon  the  expiration  of  their  indentures, 
they  flock  at  once  to  the  towns,  where,  like  the 
Portuguese,  they  set  up  small  shops  —  proving  in  the 
end  rather  a  detriment  to  the  island  than  a  benefit. 
Though  by  the  terms  of  their  contracts  they  are 
obliged  to  work  six  days  in  the  week,  none  of  them 
do,  appropriating  to  themselves  Saturday  as  a  holiday. 

The  labor  question  does  not  fall  within  the  scope  of 
this  book,  and  I  fear  I  have  trenched  upon  ground  I 
should  not ;  but  these  remarks  were  suggested  by  see- 
ing my  friend  of  Rutland  Vale  trying  to  persuade  his 
own  hired  laborers  to  go  into  the  field.  Even  after 
himself  and  his  overseer  had  led  the  refractory  Indian 
to  the  field  and  placed  a  hoe  in  his  hand,  he  refused 
to  work.  It  is  between  such  fires  as  these  that  the 
planter  is  placed  ;  and  it  is  time  some  champion  of 
their  interests  should  appear,  to  place  them  in  a  proper 
light  before  the  world. 


ON    A    SUGAR    ESTATE.  235 

From  the  delightful  retreat  at  Rutland  Vale  I  re- 
turned to  town  recuperated,  though  still  shaky  and 
very  thin.  My  first  visit  was  to  the  treasurer  of  the 
island.  "Bless  my  soul,"  said  he,  "you  haven't  any 
blood  ;  it  is  blood  you  want.  Come  with  me  ;  I'll  show 
you  what  you  must  do  now,  if  you  would  build  your- 
self up."  Saying  which,  he  led  me  by  the  hand 
to  the  sideboard,  poured  out  a  glass  of  ripe  old 
Madeira  and  handed  it  to  me.  "Isn't  that  going  to 
restore  your  vigor?"  said  he,  as  I  set  down  the  glass 
with  a  sigh  of  satisfaction. 

Then  I  was  suddenly  converted  to  that  man's  belief. 
Since  my  first  skirmish  with  doctors,  many  years 
agone,  I  had  never  met  a  physician  who  prescribed 
and  administered  so  sensibly  as  this  one. 

I  looked  at  the  old  man  with  admiration  ;  I  thrilled 
through  with  hope  and  the  effects  of  the  potent  wine. 
It  was  blood  I  wanted,  was  most  urgently  in  need  of, 
and  I  waxed  blood-thirsty ;  not  all  the  Indians  on  all 
the  plains  could  be  fiercer  for  blood  than  I.  My 
physician  smiled  —  a  complacent  smile;  said  he,  "I 
knew  it,  hit  the  nail  on  the  head  that  time.  Bless 
your  soul,  take  some  more,  you  don't  get  such  wine 
every  day  ;  bottled  myself,  imported  direct ;  take  some 
more  blood  ! "  It  danced  along  every  vein,  and  every 
pulse  beat  responsive  gratulation. 

"Now,"  continued  my  friend,  "you  can't  get  that 
medicine  anywhere  else,  at  present;  I  have  thought 
of  that,  and  as  we  are,  I  think,  agreed  as  to  its  efficacy, 
you  must  accept  a  few  bottles,  which  I  shall  send  down 
by  Thomas,  to-morrow.  You  know  the  dose  :  a  wine- 
glassful  every  three  hours,  and  oftener  if  you  feel  it 
necessary." 


236  CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 

A  mile  from  Kingston,  at  the  base  of  the  hills,  is 
Government  House,  the  residence  of  the  lieutenant- 
governor  of  St.  Vincent.  It  is  in  the  center  of  grounds 
formerly  used  as  a  garden  of  acclimatization  for  tropi- 
cal plants  and  trees  not  indigenous  to  the  West  Indies. 
The  garden  was  opened  in  1763,  but  given  up  in  1828, 
and  many  of  the  plants  removed  to  Trinidad.  Here 
are  still  found  the  teak,  mahogany,  almond,  screw- 
pine,  Malacca-apple,  nutmeg,  clove,  cinnamon,  pi- 
mento and  areca  palm,  a  grove  of  palmistes,  bread- 
fruit, bread-nut  and  cannon-ball  trees.  The  latter  is 
very  interesting,  growing  to  a  great  height,  with  large 
bole  and  branches,  along  which  grow  twigs  and  shoots 
so  thickly  that  they  resemble  a  vine  entwining  them  ; 
on  these  grow  great  flowers  which  look  like  the 
sarracenias  of  northern  climes ;  stamens  and  pistils 
are  packed  away  inside  half  a  dozen  protecting  petals. 
The  petals  are  of  a  delicate  rose-color,  recurved  upon 
themselves  ;  when  the  blossom  bursts  it  looks  as  rough 
as  the  bristling  burr  of  a  chestnut.  The  fruit  is  as 
large  as  a  six-pounder  cannon-ball ;  it  is  spherical, 
russet  brown  in  color,  and  very  heavy.  They  are 
continually  growing  and  dropping ;  and  are  of  no 
apparent  use  except  to  stir  idle  people  into  activity,  by 
falling  on  their  heads  —  people  who  might  otherwise 
be  tempted  to  recline  beneath  the  tree. 

Mango  and  cinnamon,  introduced  into  Jamaica  by 
Lord  Rodney,  were  sent  here  also ;  nutmeg  from 
Cayenne,  in  1809;  clove  from  Martinique,  in  1787, 
where  it  was  introduced  from  the  East  Indies.  It  was 
thought  that  these  species  would  become  abundant  and 
profitable,  but  such  seems  not  to  have  been  the  case. 
The  nutmeg  has  best  repaid  the  efforts  made  for  its 


ON    A    SUGAR     ESTATE. 


237 


introduction  and  pres- 
ervation, and  has 
grown  into  trees  of 
great  size,  appearing 
at  a  distance  like  well- 
trimmed  orange  trees. 
The  male  trees,  in 
February,  were  just 
flowering,  while  the 
female  trees  hung 
thick  with  nuts  re- 
sembling our  walnuts 
before  they  burst  their 
husk.  Some  of  these 
nuts  liad  burst  their 
outer  covering,  dis- 
closing the  mace  ly- 
ing between  the  out- 
er shell  and  an  inner 
one  inclosing  the  nut, 
of  a  rich  vermilion 
hue,    and  possessing 


Cocoa   Palm,   Bread-fruit. 


a  warm,  spicy  taste.  There  are  several  nutmeg  groves 
throughout  the  island,  though  but  little  attention  is 
paid  to  their  cultivation.  The  income  from  each 
nutmeg  tree  in  bearing  is  estimated  at  five  dollars  per 
year  —  a  pound  sterling  per  season. 

The  clove  did  not  prove  so  successful  as  the  nut- 
meg, though  its  cultivation  is  attended  with  little  labor 
and  the  profits  sure.  A  very  instructive  account  of 
experiments  in  clove  culture  is  that  of  a  gentleman 
in  Dominica,  who  wrote  in  1796.  For  several  years 
he  persevered  on  his  estate,  Montpelier,  in  the  hills 


2-^8  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 


"O 


of  Dominica.  From  the  first  two  trees  in  bearing 
he  gatiiered  seven  pounds  of  cloves ;  he  then  had, 
six  years  after  commencing  to  plant,  fifteen  hundred 
growing  trees.  Probably,  even  if  this  attempt  was 
successful,  nothing  farther  was  ever  done  by  the  other 
planters,  so  wrapped  up  were  they  in  cane  culture, 
and  cane  only.  Montpelier  is  to-day  gone  to  decay, 
difficult  of  access,  with  fields  of  waste  land,  and  with- 
out inliabitants.  A  tradition  only  remains  of  clove 
and  cinnamon-trees  being  found  in  the  wild  growth 
that  covers  the  abandoned  fields. 

A  broad  walk  leads  under  the  nutmeg-trees,  from 
a  little  stream  beneath  the  teak  and  mahogany,  to 
Government  House,  the  residence  of  the  lieutenant- 
governor,  —  a  long,  low  building,  surrounded  by  a 
veranda,  having  in  front  a  flower-garden  in  perpetual 
blossom,  such  a  garden  as  only  this  climate  is  capable 
of  producing,  with  a  row  of  lovely  areca  palms,  and 
vines  in  profusion  adorning  pillars  and  balustrades. 

We  are  constantly  reminded  of  the  East  Indies  and 
the  South  Seas  by  the  numerous  trees  brought  from 
those  far-off  regions.  Not  the  least  curious  is  the 
screw-pine,  growing  to  the  height  of  a  tree,  and  bear- 
ing fruit  that  closely  resembles  the  edible  pine-apple. 

In  the  society  of  the  governor,  George  Dundas, 
Esquire,  C.  M.  G.,  I  enjoyed  many  delightful  hours. 
Like  many  another  cultivated  Englishman  and  Scotch- 
man, he  was  a  zealous  votary  of  Daguerre  —  an  ex- 
cellent amateur  photographer.  To  wealthy  English 
amateurs,  who  have  pursued  the  study  of  photography 
as  a  pastime,  that  science  ovves  its  greatest  advance- 
ment, especially  in  recent  limes.  In  the  "dry-plate" 
process  —  the  process  of  the  future  —  they  have  made 


BREAD-FRUIT    AND    COCOA-PALM.  239 

the  greatest  number  of,  and  most  valuable,  discov- 
eries. Governor  Dundas  was  an  enthusiast,  and  ex- 
hibited to  me  many  pictures,  taken  by  himself,  of  the 
scenery  of  St.  Vincent  and  Barbados. 

Of  the  many  trees  which  were  introduced  into  the 
West  Indies  none  have  proved  so  great  a  boon  to 
the  laboring  classes,  and  bane  to  the  planter,  as  the 
bread-fruit.  It  was  at  once  a  success,  and  from  this 
garden  of  acclimatization  many  hundred  plants  were 
distributed  over  the  island.  The  tree  would  attract 
attention  from  the  arrangement  of  its  deeply-lobed 
leaves ;  but  the  great  balls  of  fruit,  varying  from  five 
to  eight  inches  in  diameter,  make  it  a  conspicuous 
object  even  amongst  tropical  vegetation.  Inside  the 
shell,  which  when  baked  is  hard,  though  thin,  is  a 
thick  flesh  like  that  of  a  melon.  Though  I  cannot 
recall  any  substance  that  tastes  exactly  like  it,  it  is 
certainly  very  good,  and  so  nutritious  that  the  natives 
of  the  islands  in  which  it  was  discovered  subsist  upon 
it  almost  solely  the  year  through.  It  is  their  "  daily 
bread,"  indeed,  and  takes  the  place  of  the  manufac- 
tured article  entirely.  It  more  than  fills  that  place, 
for  those  who  are  dependent  upon  its  bountiful  har- 
vests need  scarcely  any  animal  food.  The  people  in 
the  favored  country  of  its  growth  do  not  need  to  labor ; 
a  score  of  trees  planted  by  each  man  wnll  furnish  a 
supply  of  food  for  a  lifetime,  and  he  need  concern 
himself  about  nothing  else  than  sleeping  and  eating. 
In  its  fruitfulness  it  exceeds  even  the  generous  plan- 
tain, upon  which  the  natives  of  the  tropics  subsist 
almost  solely  where  the  bread-fruit  is  not  grown.  It 
dispenses  entirely  with  the  labor  of  the  agriculturist, 
the  miller,  the  baker ;  there  need  be  no  care  for  seed- 


240  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

time  or  harvest ;  there  is  no  threshing,  no  grinding, 
no  kneading ;  in  fact,  the  islanders  of  the  South  Seas 
have  their  bread  ready  prepared,  and  have  only  to 
place  it  on  the  coals  as  they  need  it. 

In  its  native  islands  the  tree  bears  for  about  eight 
months  in  the  year.  Toward  the  close  of  the  fruitful 
period  the  natives  lay  the  fruit  in  heaps  and  cover  it 
with  leaves,  where  it  ferments ;  the  core  attached  to 
the  stem  is  then  pulled  out,  and  the  fruit,  placed  in  a 
hole,  changes  from  sweet  to  sour,  after  which  it  will 
keep  until  another  season  of  fruitage. 

This  allusion  to  the  home  of  the  bread-fi-uit  very 
naturally  recalls"  the  story  of  its  introduction  into  the 
West  Indies  —  a  story  romantic,  and  worthy  of  fre- 
quent repetition.  In  1797,  in  answer  to  a  petition  from 
the  planters  of  the  West  Indies,  the  armed  transport, 
the  "Bounty,"  was  fitted  out  for  Otaheite,  commanded 
by  Lieutenant  Bligh,  who  had  been  around  the  world 
with  Cook.  Her  cabin  was  fitted  with  a  false  floor 
cut  full  of  holes,  sufficient  to  receive  one  thousand 
garden-pots.  She  was  victualled  for  fifteen  months, 
and  carried  Vinkets  for  trade  in  the  South  Sea  Islands. 
After  many  difficulties,  being  obliged  to  abandon  the 
route  intended  and  seek  a  new  one.  Lieutenant  Bligh 
reached  Otaheite.  A  tent  was  erected  on  shore  to 
receive  the  trees,  some  thirty  of  which  were  potted 
every  day. 

On  the  4th  of  April,  1789,  the  "  Bounty  "  set  sail,  with 
one  thousand  roots  in  pots,  tubs,  and  boxes.  On  the 
27th  broke  out  the  mutiny  which  has  become  a  matter 
of  history.  Lieutenant  Bligh,  with  eighteen  others, 
was  placed  in  the  launch,  which  was  cut  loose  with 
one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  of  bread,  twenty-eight 


BREAD-FRUIT    AND    COCOA-PALM.  24I 

gallons  of  water,  a  little  rum  and  wine,  a  quadrant 
and  a  compass.  A  few  pieces  of  pork,  some  cocoa- 
nuts,  and  four  cutlasses,  were  thrown  to  them  as  they 
were  cast  adrift.  The  nearest  civilized  land  was  the 
Dutch  colony  of  Timoor,  distant  three  thousand  five 
hundred  miles.  This  they  reached  in  forty-one  days, 
after  incredible  hardships  and  the  loss  of  one  man ; 
here  they  received  hospitable  treatment,  and  event- 
ually reached  England.  Ten  of  the  mutineers  were 
afterwards  found  and  executed;  the  others  removed 
to  another  island,  where  most  of  them  led  dissolute 
lives  and  miserably  died.  The  history  of  Adams  and 
his  companions  has  been  told  in  missionary  tales  so 
often  that  every  one  is  familiar  with  its  minutest  de- 
tails. After  sailing  to  Pitcairn's  Island,  in  the  Bounty, 
they  burned  her,  extirpated  the  male  inhabitants  in 
three  years,  and  laid  the  foundation  of  a  colony  upon 
which  England  looked  with  interest,  even  with  favor. 

At  a  subsequent  period  Lieutenant  Bligh  was  fur- 
nished with  another  vessel,  in  which  he  accomplished 
the  object  for  which  he  was  sent,  and  the  bread-fruit 
was  introduced  into  St.  Vincent  in  1793.  In  this 
island  it  flourished  in  greater  abundance  than  in  any 
other  of  the  Caribbean  chain,  and  aside  from  forming 
small  groves  on  many  of  the  plantations,  it  has  ex- 
tended its  range  into  the  forest-borders,  and  may  be 
found  in  some  of  the  deeper  valleys  in  a  wild  state,  a 
companion  of  the  "  trumpet  tree,"  which  somewhat 
resembles  it  in  appearance. 

There  was  a  hollow,  near  my  Carib  cabin  in  St. 

Vincent,  between  two  high  hills,  the  center  deepening 

to  a  gutter  where  generally  ran  a  little  brook.     Up 

the  bed  of  this  gutter  I  climbed  one  day,  at  noon,  first 

16 


243 


CAMPS    IN   THE   CARIBBEES. 


§ 


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past  a  clump  of 
-  cacaos,  shaded 
b}^  tall  trees,  and 
tlien  past  a  group  of 
groo-groo  and  gris-gris 
palms.  These  palms  are 
erect  and  straight,  but 
aside  from  their  own 
graceful  beauty,  they  art; 
enriched  and  encircled  by 
a  clustering  vine,  throw-  * 
ing  out  a  mass  of  large, 
perforated  leaves.  This 
vine  climbs  up  the  trunk 
by  clinging  closely  — r-  a 
slender  thread  of  a  vine, 
which  throws  out,  when 
it  has  attained  a  certain 
height,  a  cluster  of  leaves. 
As  there  are  numberless 
climbers,    and    as     each 


BREAD-FRUIT    AND    COCOA-PALM.  243 

sends  out  its  leaves  in  a  group,  the  tree  is  sometimes 
inclosed  in  a  pyramidal  column  from  top  to  bottom, 
most  beautiful  to  see. 

The  groo-groo  is  most  abundant  on  the  coast  and 
plentifully  besprinkles  the  woods  of  the  hillsides  ;  it 
can  be  seen  anywhere  in  long  ranks  on  the  ridges, 
and  in  clumps  and  groups  by  the  roadside.  It  is  not 
as  tall  as  either  the  cocoa  or  the  palmiste,  is  stouter 
than  the  mountain  palm,  and  with  a  denser  head 
than  either  of  them.  Its  leaves  are  curled  laterally 
from  the  mid-rib,  and  droop  feathery  and  plume-like. 
It  covers  all  the  hills  and  upper  valleys  along  the  sea- 
coast,  and  seems  to  take  the  place  the  tree-fern  oc- 
cupies in  similar  localities  in  other  islands. 

All  the  palms  are  beautiful :  the  mighty  palmiste, 
towering  to  a  height  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet, 
with  its  column-like  trunk  and  spreading  head  of  long 
leaves,  is  unsurpassed  in  grandeur.  The  cocoa  palm, 
perhaps,  is  the  most  picturesque,  as  its  stem  is  so 
slender,  and  its  loose  leaves  droop  so  gracefully,  wav- 
ing with  every  breeze,  ever  and  anon  disclosing  its 
wealth  of  fruit.  Nothing  can  be  more  picturesque 
than  a  cocoa  bendmg  above  a  thatched  hut ;  than  a 
group  of  cocoas  on  the  bank  of  a  stream  reflecting 
back  their  beauty.  If  utility  were  considered,  then 
certainly  the  cocoa  would  bear  away  the  falm^  as  it 
assuredly  is  the  palm  of  this  tropic  zone.  The  moun- 
tain palm,  found  only  in  the  high  woods  and  on 
elevated  ridges,  has  a  slenderer  stem,  and  its  long 
leaves  give  it  a  resemblance  to  the  cocoa.  The 
areca  palm,  the  seeds  of  which  are  used  with  the 
famous  betel  nut,  with  small  straight  stem  and  a 
single  tuft  of  plumes,  is  a  very  ornamental  tree.     No 


244  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

matter  which  species  of  palm  I  look  upon,  I  am 
tempted  to  say,  this  is  the  most  beautiful ! 

But  to  return  to  the  groo-groo  and  gris-gris.  The 
former  rises  straight  up,  with  a  gray  trunk,  scarred 
all  the  way  up  with  little  circles  left  by  former 
leaves,  fusiform,  swelling  out  in  the  middle  like  the 
main-boom  of  a  ship,  supporting  a  solid  head  of  leaves, 
which  are  curled  like  the  heated  feathers  of  an  ostrich 
plume,  and  form  a  dense  ball  almost  circular  in  shape. 
At  the  base  of  these  leaves  springs  out  a  branching 
stem  covered  with  the  seeds  which,  when  ripe,  are 
black,  like  small  grape-shot,  and  sheltered  by  a 
spathe  shaped  like  a  shield.  Both  trunk  and  leaf- 
stalks are  covered,  especially  in  young  trees,  with 
black  spines ;  which  detract  from  its  beauty  some- 
what in  the  estimation  of  one  who  has  stepped  upon 
them.  The  seeds  are  made  into  a  variety  of  chate- 
laine ornaments,  as  they  are  black  and  hollow,  and 
take  a  fine  polish.  The  wood  is  black  as  ebony,  and 
is  also  susceptible  of  a  high  degree  of  polish. 

Scarcely  had  these  observations  on  the  palms  been 
written  down  when  my  retreat  was  invaded  by  a 
buxom  Indian  girl  of  fourteen  or  fifteen,  carrying  a 
cutlass.  She  stood  by  the  stream  for  some  time, 
wondering,  perhaps,  what  "  buckra  "  was  doing  there  : 
comely  features,  black  braids  of  hair,  shapely  limbs, 
short  and  ragged  dress.  She  was  even  more  pictu- 
resque than  all  the  palms.  And  if  there  could  be  a 
more  attractive  picture,  it  was  when  she  returned,  an 
hour  later,  bearing  on  her  head  an  immense  bunch  of 
plantains,  and  stood  poised  upon  a  rock,  where  she 
lingered  for  some  time  gazing  at  her  image  in  the 
stream. 


GRENADA  AND  THE  GRENADINES.       245 


CHAPTER  XV. 

GRENADA  AND  THE  GRENADINES. 

BEQUIA.  —  CONTENTED  ISLANDERS. — THE  "  BEQUIA  SWEET."  — 
CARIB  ANECDOTE.  —  UNION  ISLAND.  —  CANOUAN.  —  AN  ENER- 
GETIC PATRIARCH.  —  CARIACOU.  —  ON  THE  ANCIENT  CONTI- 
GUITY OF  THE  LESSER  ANTILLES.  —  THE  LOST  ATLANTIS.  — 
"  WHAT  IF  THESE  REEFS  WERE  HER  MONUMENT  ?"  —  A  GLANCE 
AT  THE  MAP. — AN  ISOLATED  GEOGRAPHICAL  AND  ZOOLOGI- 
CAL PROVINCE.  —  GRENADA.  —  ST.  GEORGE'S.  —  MORE  CRA- 
TERS.—  THE  CARENAGE. — THE  FORTS.  —  THE  LAGOON.  —  THE 
"  EURVDICE."  —  IGUANAS.  —  THEIR  HABITS.  —  IGUANA-SHOOT- 
ING. —  OYSTERS  GROWING  ON  TREES.  —  COLUMBUS  AND  HIS 
PEARLS.  —  LIZARDS.  —  A  MISSIONARY'S  GRIEF.  —  FOOD  OF  THE 
IGUANA. —  THE  MANGROVE. —  CACAO. — ITS  DISCOVERY. —  PRES- 
ENT RANGE. —  ITS  CULTIVATION. —  CACAO  RIVER. —  COCOA  AND 
CACAO. — THE  TREE. —  THE  FRUIT. —  THE  FLOWER.  —  IDLE  NE- 
GROES. —  CHOCOLATE.  —  FOREST  RATS.  —  MONKEYS.  —  THEIR 
DEPREDATIONS.  —  AN   INSULT. 

THE  GRENADINES,  a  great  number  of  iskts 
forming  a  connecting  chain  between  the  islands 
of  St.  Vincent  and  Grenada,  extend  over  a  degree  of 
latitude.  They  are  small  and  low-lying,  many  of  them 
being  merely  rocks  protruding  from  the  water,  with- 
out rivers,  little  cultivated,  with  no  communication 
with  the  larger  islands  except  by  small  boats,  and 
yet  some  of  them  densely  populated.  The  largest  of 
these  is  Bequia,  nearest  to  St.  Vincent,  which  is  six 
miles  in  length   and   above  a  mile  in  breadth,  with 


246  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

a  range  of  hills  eiglit  hundred  feet  in  height.  The 
character  of  soil  and  people  of  every  island  of  the 
Grenadines  may  be  summed  up  in  the  following  para- 
graph from  the  "West  India  Pilot" : 

"Bequia  has  no  running  streams,  and  there  is  no 
watering-place.  There  are  some  wells  at  the  head 
of  the  bay,  but  the  water  is  not  very  good.  Wood  is 
plentiful,  and  maybe  obtained  by  permission  from  the 
owners,  but  it  is  doubtful  if  the  natives  would  cut  it. 
Poultry  may  be  had  occasionally  in  small  quantities, 
and  sometimes  fish,  but  vegetables  never." 

The  people  are  apathetic.  The  sea  yields  them 
sufficient  for  the  day  ;  of  cotton  and  sugar  their  lands 
produce  sufficient  to  supply  tliem  with  commodities 
not  obtainable  from  the  sea.  The  contrast  between 
these  silent,  sleepy  islands,  whose  people  are  content 
to  exist  and  will  not  work,  and  an  island  like  Bar- 
bados, where  the  negroes  all  must  work  or  starve, 
and  where  they  harass  a  visitor  nearly  to  the  verge 
of  insanity,  is  refreshing.  Some  of  the  islets,  like 
Balliceaux  and  Battowia,  are  owned  by  single  indi- 
viduals, or  firms,  who  raise  there  cattle  and  sheep ; 
all  are  well  stocked  with  wild  doves,  plover  and  ducks 
in  their  season,  and  their  rocky  shores  are  surrounded 
by  myriads  of  sea-fowl. 

In  Bequia,  and  extending  throughout  the  chain, 
is  a  blackbird  —  a  new  species  named  the  ^uiscalus 
luminosus  —  which  makes  the  air  resound  with  its 
joyous  cry :  "  Bequia  sweet,  sweet,  Bequia  sweet." 
The  Caribs  told  me  of  this  bird  several  months  be- 
fore I  obtained  it,  as  its  peculiar  cry  had  caused  it  to 
be  marked  by  them.  They  had  preserved  a  touching 
story  of  its  connection  with  Carib  captivity,  when  the 


GRKNADA  AND  THE  GRENADINES.       247 

Indians  were  confined  in  the  small  island  of  Balli- 
ceaux. 

The  island  in  which  they  were  prisoners  was  low 
and  dry,  without  a  tree  large  enough  to  shelter  them 
from  the  sun ;  a  few  miles  distant,  full  in  sight,  was 
the  island  of  Bequia,  six  times  theirs  in  size,  with  high 
hills  covered  with  green  forests.  To  them  it  was  as 
Paradise ;  they  longed  for  its  breezy  hills,  sighed  for 
the  cool  shade  of  its  trees,  but  sighed  in  vain.  De- 
prived of  their  canoes,  of  houses,  of  material  for  con- 
structing more  than  slight  shelter,  these  poor  people 
lay  gasping  beneath  a  tropic  sun,  gazing  at  the  misty 
mountains  of  their  native  island  and  the  green  slopes 
of  Bequia,  without  a  possibility  of  reaching  either. 
All  about  them  the  blackbirds  sang  praises  of  the  dis- 
tant island  :  "  Bequia  sweet,  sweet,  Bequia  sweet." 
Though  St.  Vincent  is  but  ten  miles  distant,  the  black- 
bird is  never  seen  there,  affording  but  one  of  many 
peculiarities  in  the  distribution  of  animals  throughout 
these  islands. 

The  natives  of  the  Grenadines  display  a  love  for 
their  islands  not  easily  understood  by  a  resident  of 
more  fertile  and  more  attractive  lands.  I  can  under- 
stand this,  but  can  hardly  explain  it.  There  is  a  feel- 
ing born  of  the  isolation,  of  the  very  barrenness  of  the 
land,  of  the  loneliness  of  an  island,  that  attracts  one 
to  it,  especially  if  one  there  had  his  birth  and  passed 
his  earlier  years. 

We  steamed  out  of  Kingston  Bay  and  dow^n  along 
the  lovely  Grenadines.  Their  appearance  is  that  of 
a  nearly  submerged  line  of  mountains.  Sometimes  a 
whole  ridge  is  exposed  ;  again,  a  conical  peak  or 
a   mound   of  green   just   appears  above   the   water. 


248  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBBBS. 

Union  Island  and  Cariacou,  seemingly  near  together, 
with  a  few  water-surrounded  peaks  between  them, 
are  whole  chines  of  ridges.  The  latter  has  a  well- 
cultivated  appearance,  and  on  some  hillsides  are 
houses  thickly  clustering.  Grenada  appears  a  cloud- 
line  when  we  are  off  Union  Island,  and  gradually 
emerges  from  the  haze  as  we  draw  nearer,  purple  in 
hue,  of  course,  long,  but  not  so  high  as  St.  Vincent 
and  the  islands  north.  Canouan,  half-way  down  the 
Grenadines,  appears  small  and  dry,  but  the  white 
houses  gleaming  from  a  hill-top  give  it  a  cheerful 
look.  Canouan  is  principally  inhabited  by  one  fam- 
ily, the  descendants  of  one  man,  who  has  success- 
fully emulated  the  patriarchs  of  old  in  the  extent  of 
his  family,  if  not  in  his  domain. 

Many  years  ago  —  I  don't  know  just  how  many  — 
he  came  to  Canouan,  bringing  slaves,  it  is  said  by 
some,  finding  there  a  colony  of  blacks,  it  is  said 
by  others.  At  all  events,  he  set  himself  up  as  a 
patriarch,  and  commenced  a  church.  So  successful 
was  this  good  man,  whose  name  was  Snagg,  so  suc- 
cessful were  his  efforts  in  ameliorating  the  color  and 
condition  of  those  around  him,  that  the  entire  chain 
has  felt  his  influence.  This  zealous  missionary  had 
a  brother,  an  English  baronet;  and  it  is  related  by 
those  who  cruise  the  Grenadines,  that  one  cannot  visit 
any  isle  in  this  archipelago  without  encountering  some 
brown-skinned  descendant  of  the  missionary,  who 
boasts  offensively  of  "my  uncle.  Sir  William  Snagg." 

Union  Island  is  black  and  gloomy  from  the  east, 
as  we  coast  along,  indicating  a  virgin  vegetation  and 
little  cultivation.  Its  sharp,  serrated  outline,  remind- 
ing one  of  a  line  of  snow-drifts  after  a  heavy  mid- 


GRENADA  AND  THE  GRENADINES.       249 

winter  storm  when  a  fierce  wind  has  swept  along, 
leaving  them  combed  or  sharply  cut,  suggests  either 
immense  denuding,  eroding  floods,  or  upheaval. 

Were  these  islands  once  connected  with  the  main 
land  of  either  continent?  How  often  this  question 
arises  in  one's  mind  as  he  gazes  on  these  mountains 
peering  above  the  sea  !  Did  they,  in  the  language 
oP  Humboldt,  "belong  to  the  Southern  continent,  and 
form  a  part  of  its  littoral  chain,"  or  have  they  been 
upheaved  from  the  depths  of  the  sea?  The  great 
naturalist  thus  refers  to  these  islands  and  the  various 
theories  regarding  their  origin  :  "  The  supposition  of 
an  oceanic  irruption  has  been  the  source  of  two  other 
hypotheses  on  the  origin  of  the  smaller  West  India 
islands.  Some  geologists  admit  that  the  uninterrupted 
chain  of  islands  from  Trinidad  to  Florida  exhibits  the 
remains  of  an  ancient  chain  of  mountains.  They  con- 
nect this  chain  sometimes  with  the  granite  of  French 
Guiana,  sometimes  with  the  calcareous  mountains  of 
Paria.  Others,  struck  with  the  difference  of  geo- 
logical constitution  between  the  primitive  mountains 
of  the  Greater  and  the  volcanic  cones  of  the  Lesser 
Antilles,  consider  the  latter  as  having  risen  from  the 
bottom  of  the  sea.  In  opposing  the  objections  of  some 
celebrated  naturalists,  I  am  far  from  maintaining  the 
ancient  contiguity  of  all  these  smaller  West  India 
islands.  I  am  rather  inclined  to  consider  them  as 
islands  heaved  up  by  fire,  and  ranged  in  that  regular 
line  of  which  we  find  striking  examples  in  so  many 
volcanic  hills  in  Mexico  and  in  Peru.  The  geological 
constitution  of  the  archipelago  appears,  from  the  little 
we  know  respecting  it,  to  be  very  similar  to  that  of 
the  Azores  and  the  Canary  Islands.    Primitive  forma- 


250  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

tions  are  nowhere  seen  above  ground  ;  we  find  only 
what  belongs  unquestionably  to  volcanoes.'' 

We  would  fain  connect  these  mountain-peaks  with 
a  submerged  continent,  a  continent  that  extended  over 
the  vast  space  now  occupied  by  the  Caribbean  Sea, 
and  into  the  Atlantic  far  over  toward  the  coast  of 
Africa.  We  are  ready  to  believe  that  the  "lost  At- 
lantis" of  the  ancients  is  not  a  myth,  that  it  is  not  a 
"fabled  island,"  but  had  a  real  existence,  and  that  the 
land  discovered  by  those  Tyrian  navigators  who  sailed 
beyond  the  Pillars  of  Hercules  and  were  driven  by  a 
storm  many  days  westward,  was  part  of  a  continent 
now  beneath  the  waves  —  the  eastern  shore  of  a  region 
which  these  mountains  once  traversed  ;  for  — 

"Who knows  the  spot  where  Atlantis  sank? 
Myths  of  a  lovely  drowned  continent 
Homeless  drift  over  waters  blank  ; 
What  if  these  reefs  were  her  monument  ? 
Isthmus  and  cavernous  cape  may  be 
Her  mountain  summits  escaped  from  the  sea." 

The  early  geological  history  of  the  area  occupied 
by  the  Caribbean  Sea,  its  coasts  and  its  islands,  has 
excited  the  attention  of  many  eminent  scientific  men, 
and  much  light  has  been  afibrded  by  the  study  of  the 
land  and  marine  faunas  and  of  the  geological  forma- 
tion of  the  islands  and  adjacent  coasts.  The  con- 
clusions reached  by  the  later  scientists  are,  that  the 
West  Indian  islands  present  the  remains  of  a  sunken 
continent.  Says  that  eminent  naturalist,  Wallace : 
"The  West  Indian  islands  have  been  long  isolated 
and  have  varied  much  in  extent.  Originally,  they 
probably  formed  part  of  Central  America,  and  may 
have  been  united  with  Yucatan  and  Honduras  in  one 


GRENADA  AND  THE  GRENADINES.       25 1 

extensive  tropical  land."  These  remarks  apply  to  the 
Greater  Antilles,  probably,  and  do  not  preclude  Hum- 
boldt's hypothesis  that  the  Lesser  Antilles  are  islands 
"  heaved  up  by  fire." 

At  a  meeting  of  the  National  Academy,  held  in 
Washington,  in  April,  1879,  Professor  Agassiz  read  a 
report  of  his  dredging  operations  during  the  previous 
winter,  expressing  the  opinion  that  he  had  brought  to 
light  the  outlines  of  old  continents,  of  which  the  islands 
enclosing  the  Caribbean  Sea  are  the  remnants.  Mr. 
Bland,  of  New  York,  the  well-known  conchologist, 
who  has  especially  studied  the  land-shell  distribution 
of  the  West  Indies  for  many  years,  adds  his  testimony 
as  to  the  continental  character  of  the  faunas  of  the  dif- 
ferent West  Indian  islands. 

And  these  few  general  remarks  upon  the  Lesser 
Antilles  as  a  whole  lead  me  to  call  the  reader's  atten- 
tion to  their  regularity  of  position,  as  shown  upon  the 
map.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  distance  between  any 
two  adjacent  islands  lying  between  St.  Vincent  and 
Barbuda,  is  about  thirty  miles :  from  Barbuda  to 
Antigua,  from  Antigua  to  Montserrat,  Montserrat  to 
Guadeloupe,  from  the  latter  to  Dominica,  from  Do- 
minica to  Martinique,  Martinique  to  St.  Lucia,  St. 
Lucia  to  St.  Vincent.  A  sixty-mile  circuit,  with 
Grenada  as  a  center,  touches  St.  Vincent,  Tobago, 
and  Trinidad,  and  includes  all  of  the  Grenadines. 

The  almost  semicircular  line  they  describe  cannot 
but  be  noticed ;  nor  will  it  fail  to  be  suggested  to  the 
most  casual  observer  that,  if  not  vestiges  of  a  con- 
tinent, these  islands  once  formed  a  continuous  barrier 
between  the  Caribbean  Sea  and  the  Atlantic  Ocean  ; 
though  facts  may  prove    the  contrary.      I  may  also 


252  CAaiPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

remark,  in  passing,  that  the  avi-fauna,  the  bird-life,  of 
this  cluster  of  islands  is  as  distinct  and  isolated  from 
that  of  Tobago,  Trinidad,  and  South  America,  as  is 
the  geographical  position  of  the  group. 

Grenada  is  the  southernmost  of  these  volcanic  islands 
and  terminates  in  latitude  twelve,  north,  the  Caribbee 
chain.  It  is  a  little  over  eighteen  miles  in  length  and 
seven  in  breadth,  and  is  very  rugged,  the  interior  of 
the  island  being  one  mountain  ridge  with  its  offsets, 
and  there  is  a  lesser  comparative  area  of  fertile  land 
than  in  St.  Vincent.  The  mountains  are  volcanic; 
there  are  several  extinct  craters,  in  the  largest  of 
which  there  is  an  attractive  lake  two  and  one-half 
miles  in  circumference,  two  thousand  feet  above  the 
sea. 

St.  George's,  the  only  port  of  any  size,  lies  on  the 
south-western  coast,  its  walled  fort,  St.  George,  oc- 
cupying a  bold  promontory  comm.anding  the  town, 
along  and  over  the  ridge  of  which  it  is  built.  With 
its  deep,  fissure-like  harbor,  its  sandy  "carenage," 
its  white-walled  houses  of  stone,  its  encircling, 
baltlemented  hills  seven  hundred  feet  in  height,  St. 
George's,  harbor  and  town,  is  highly  picturesque. 

We  reached  the  harbor  at  night,  but  our  captain 
dared  not  enter,  and  stood  off  and  on  till  morning. 
The  sky  was  ablaze  with  stars,  and  the  Southern  Cross 
appeared  when  the  clouds  passed.  Two  planets  glowed 
in  the  sky  till  sunrise,  streaming  fire  from  out  the 
murky  clouds  and  casting  bright  reflections  on  the 
water. 

The  harbor  of  St.  George's  seems  to  have  been 
formed  by  volcanic  forces,  as  it  is  hardly  more  than  a 
narrow  fissure,  and  the  hundred-fathom  line  of  sound- 


IGUANAS   AND    LIZARDS. 


253 


Saint    George's 

ings  is  only  a  little  over  a  mile  from  the  fort.  Veins 
of  deep  water  extend  in  from  the  sea,  on  both  sides  of 
which  the  water  is  quite  shallow. 

Making  out  from  the  harbor  proper  is  a  bay  or 
lagoon,  about  a  mile  in  depth,  where  are  sandy 
beaches  bordered  b}'  mangrove  swamps.  Behind  this 
bay,  ascending  the  hills,  is  the  estate  of  Belmont, 
where  resided  a  gentleman  to  whom  I  had  letters  of 
introduction.  Chief  Justice  Gresham,  who,  like  the 
good  governor  of  St.  Vincent,  was  an  amateur  photog- 
rapher of  great  ability.  Very  naturally,  I  gravitated 
toward  Belmont  soon  after  landing,  and  passed  a 
pleasant  week  on  and  about  the  estate.  Among  some 
excellent  photographs  which  his  Honor  gave  me,  was 


254  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

one  of  the  unfortunate  "Eury  dice, "taken  by  the  judge 
as  she  lay  under  the  walls  of  Fort  St.  George,  just 
prior  to  her  departure  for  England  on  the  voyage  that 
had  such  a  terrible  ending. 

Skirting  the  belt  of  mangroves  bordering  the  lagoon, 
one  morning  in  March,  I  anxiously  searched  the  in- 
tertwined branches  for  iguanas.  Grenada  is  celebrated 
as  being  the  home  of  great  numbers  of  these  reptiles, 
which  may  often  be  found  basking  on  old  walls  within 
the  limits  of  the  town.  My  boatman  was  a  negro,  who, 
accustomed  to  the  appearance  of  the  iguana  in  the 
trees,  discovered  one  long  before  I  could  distinguish 
the  difference  between  green  reptile  and  green  leaves. 
Even  after  it  had  been  pointed  out,  I  had  difficulty  in 
recognizing  it,  so  nearly  did  its  colors  harmonize  with 
those  of  the  tree  in  which  it  was  feeding. 

It  lay  quite  still,  stretched  flat  upon  a  branch,  its  tail 
hanging  down  like  that  of  a  snake.  Though  it  was 
evidently  suspicious  of  our  intentions,  its  quiet  was 
not  due  to  that  alone,  for  it  is  naturally  a  sluggish 
animal.  Yet,  when  once  thoroughly  aroused,  it  will 
dash  over  the  ground  at  great  speed.  I  fired,  yet  it 
still  clung  tenaciously  to  the  bough,  and  a  second  shot 
did  not  kill  it,  for  it  would  have  escaped  had  not  my 
boatman  pinned  it  with  an  oar,  after  it  had  fallen  into 
the  mud.  From  one  that  we  captured  that  morning, 
the  man  with  me  procured  a  dozen  large,  white  eggs, 
which  he  saved  to  eat. 

As  we  rowed  along,  the  breaking  of  overhanging 
branches  was  accompanied  by  the  crackling  of  shells, 
as  the  oysters,  clinging  to  the  roots  and  branches, 
closed  their  shells  at  the  disturbance.  Some  of  these 
oysters  were  more  than  a  foot  above  water,  where  they 


IGUANAS    AND    LIZARDS.  255 

had  been  left  by  the  tide.  The  sight  of  them,  hanging 
there  with  gaping  mouths,  brought  to  mind  the  cruise 
of  Columbus  in  the  bay  of  Paria,  only  one  hundred 
miles  south  of  this  island  of  Grenada.  He  was  in 
search  of  pearls,  and  "  he  had  read  in  Pliny,  that  pearls 
were  generated  from  drops  of  dew  which  fell  into  the 
mouths  of  oysters.  There  were  great  numbers  of 
mangroves  growing  within  the  water,  with  oysters 
clinging  to  their  branches,  their  mouths  open  —  as  he 
supposed  —  to  receive  the  dew  which  was  afterwards 
to  be  transformed  into  pearls." 

The  order  Sauria,  the  lizard  order,  is  well  repre- 
sented in  the  West  Indies,  though  in  none  of  the 
smaller  islands  between  Porto  Rico  and  Trinidad  is 
to  be  found  that  greatest  of  the  saiii'ians,  the  alligator. 
The  Indians  of  Dominica,  to  whom  I  described  the 
alligator,  were  greatly  amazed  to  hear  of  a  "lizard" 
twelve  feet  in  length,  as  they  had  never  seen  one 
larger  than  the  iguana,  which  seldom  attains  a  greater 
length  than  five  feet,  and  is  as  mild  in  disposition  as 
the  alligator  is  sanguinary.  The  islands,  especially 
the  shores,  are  teeming  with  lizards  of  every  color, 
of  every  variety  of  marking,  and  of  all  sizes. 

Especially  do  they  love  the  cliffs,  and  if  3'ou  are 
walking  through  the  bushes  at  the  base  of  any  sunny 
precipice,  or  over  any  rocky  tract,  you  will  be  startled 
by  the  frequent  dashes  made  by  these  reptiles  across 
your  path.  In  a  country  where  you  must  keep  every 
sense  on  the  alert,  to  guard  against  sudden  surprise 
by  serpents  or  poisonous  insects,  it  is  very  annoying, 
often  startling,  to  be  so  frequently  disturbed  by  these 
active  creatures.  In  the  mountains  are  fewer  species, 
and  they  are  more  sluggish,  but  in  the  warm  lowlands 


256  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

you  must  be  very  active  to  capture  one.  The  little 
negro  and  Indian  boys  are  very  expert  at  it  and  catch 
them  by  means  of  slip-nooses  of  grass,  attached  to  the 
ends  of  slicks,  which  they  pass  over  the  heads  of  the 
lizards  as  they  lie  asleep  in  the  sun.  They  are  not 
poisonous,  though  repulsive  to  many,  and  though 
some  of  them  will  bite  severely,  they  do  not  inflict 
dantjerous  wounds. 

There  are  many  hideous  forms,  especially  among 
those  of  South  America,  like  the  Basilisk  and  the 
Flying  Dragon  ;  but  in  the  West  Indies  there  is  none 
of  more  hideous  appearance  than  the  iguana.  Never 
was  more  harmless  creature  invested  with  more  fright- 
ful aspect.  Clothed  with  scales,  like  the  alligator, 
but  finer  and  more  flexible,  with  a  long,  slender  and 
powerful  tail,  a  gular  pouch,  hanging  like  a  dew-lap 
beneath  its  throat,  and  having  along  its  back  from 
head  to  tail  a  crest  of  spines,  it  would  not  be  attractive 
were  it  not  for  its  beautiful  colors  of  varying  green  and 
yellow,  and  its  brightly  glancing  eye.  In  the  islands 
where  it  exists  it  is  eagerly  sought  as  food,  and  its 
flesh  is  palatable  and  delicate,  as  I  can  testify  from 
experience,  being  white,  tender,  and  nutritious. 

The  good  father  Pere  Labat  (worthy  missionary 
and  boil  vivant  withal)  compares  fricasseed  guana  to 
chicken  for  the  whiteness  of  its  flesh  and  delicacy  of 
its  flavor.  He  gives  a  delightful  account  of  catching 
one,  two  hundred  years  ago  : 

"  We  were  attended  by  a  negro  who  carried  a  long 
rod,  at  one  end  of  which  was  a  piece  of  whip-cord 
with  a  running  knot.  After  beating  about  the  bushes 
for  some  time,  the  negro  discovered  our  game  basking 
in  the  sun  on  the  dry  limb  of  a  tree.     Hereupon  he 


IGUANAS    AND    LIZARDS.  257 

began  whistling  with  all  his  might,  to  which  the 
guana  was  wonderfully  attentive,  stretching  out  his 
neck  and  turning  his  head  as  if  to  enjoy  it  more  fully. 
The  negro  now  approached,  still  whistling,  and  ad- 
vancing his  rod  gently,  began  tickling  with  the  end 
of  it  the  sides  and  throat  of  the  guana,  who  seemed 
mightily  pleased  with  the  operation,  for  he  turned  on 
his  back  and  stretched  himself  out  like  a  cat  before 
the  fire,  and  at  length  fell  asleep,  which  the  negro 
perceiving,  dexterously  slipped  the  noose  over  his 
head,  and  with  a  jerk  brought  him  to  the  ground. 
And  good  sport  it  afforded,  to  see  the  creature  swell 
like  a  turkey-cock  at  finding  himself  entrapped.  We 
caught  more  in  the  same  way,  and  kept  one  alive 
seven  or  eight  days ;  but  it  grieved  me  to  the  heart  to 
find  that  he  thereby  lost  much  delicious  fat." 

The  iguana  eats  only  vegetable  food,  and  passes 
most  of  its  time  in  the  trees,  though  it  has  holes  to 
which  it  can  retire.  The  mangrove  is  its  favorite 
resort,  and  many  have  I  seen  lying  along  the  branches 
feeding  upon  the  leaves.  This  tree,  though  not  ma- 
jestic, nor  really  beautiful,  is  extremely  interesting 
from  the  aerial  character  of  its  roots.  Growing  on 
the  border  of  the  ocean,  so  near  that  the  waves  lap 
against  its  stem,  and  in  salt-water  lagoons,  where  the 
water  is  shallow  and  the  mud  very  deep,  it  sends 
forth  numberless  roots  from  above  the  water,  which 
strike  out  in  all  directions,  and  finally  seem  to  lift  it 
up  as  though  upon  a  trestle-work.  It  is  thus  a  curious 
sight ;  and  as  these  mangroves  grow  in  masses,  their 
roots  form  an  intricate  and  impenetrable  network,  be- 
neath which  all  sorts  of  marine  and  sea-side  shell-fish 
and  vegetation  abound. 

17 


258  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

Though  cacao  grows  in  all  the  islands  of  the  Carib- 
bean Sea,  I  found  it  most  abundant  in  Grenada,  where 
it  shares  with  sugar  exclusive  cultivation,  finding  a 
soil  and  climate  most  suitable  for  its  perfect  growth. 
This  plant  was  discovered  in  Mexico  by  the  Span- 
iards, who  invaded  that  country  in  15 19;  we  read,  in 
the  "  True  History  of  the  Conquest  of  Mexico,"  by 
Captain  Bernal  Diaz,  "  one  of  the  conquerors,"  that 
fruit  of  all  the  kinds  the  country  produced  was  laid 
before  Montezuma ;  "  he  eat  very  little,  but  from  time 
to  time  a  liquor  prepared  from  cocoa,  and  of  a  stimu- 
lative or  corroborative  quality,  as  we  were  told,  was 
presented  to  him  in  golden  cups.  We  could  not  at 
that  time  see  if  he  drank  it  or  not,  but  I  observed  a 
number  of  jars,  above  fifty,  brought  in  filled  with 
foaminjj  chocolate." 

Its  adoption  and  introduction  was  rapid,  and  now  it 
flourishes  nearly  all  over  the  tropical  world,  and  in  the 
Lesser  Antilles  and  along  the  northern  coast  of  South 
America  it  grows  in  perfection. 

Much  confusion  exists  regarding  the  names  of  two 
totally  distinct  vegetable  productions :  the  cocoa,  the 
palm  which  bears  the  nut,  and  the  cacao,  from  which 
chocolate  is  made  —  words  so  nearly  alike  that  even 
great  men  have  used  them  interchangeably,  much 
to  the  bewilderment  of  the  student  of  tropical  flora. 
The  cocoa  palm  is  the  Cocas  nucrfcra,  and  by  some 
the  generic  name  of  cocos  has  been  abbreviated  into 
coco,  which  is  the  French  and  Spanish  name  also. 
Grand  old  Linnajus  gave  to  the  cacao  the  beautiful 
name,  Thcobrorna  —  food  for  gods  —  and  Thcobroma 
cacao  is  the  name  by  which  it  is  known  to  botanists. 

Unlike    the    towering    cocoa,    with    smooth    shaft. 


CACAO.  259 

crowned  with  waving  branches,  a  notable  object  in 
surrounding  vegetation,  the  cacao  seldom  reaches  a 
height  of  over  thirty  feet,  and  would  be  passed  by 
without  notice,  were  it  not  for  its  peculiar  fruit.  It 
flourishes  only  in  damp  valleys,  on  the  sides  of  shady 
hills,  and  embosomed  among  mountain  forests,  where 
the  surrounding  scenery  is  eminently  interesting. 

So  little  care  does  it  need,  and  growing,  as  it  does, 
in  soil  so  rocky  that  it  will  produce  nothing  else, 
nearly  every  negro  in  the  island  has  a  few  trees 
around  his  hut,  which  yield  him  sufficient  for  his 
simple  wants.  I  found  this  to  operate  greatly  to  my 
disadvantage,  where,  among  the  mountams,  all  lug- 
gage must  be  transported  on  the  heads  of  the  people, 
as  I  could  get  po  one  to  carry  my  camping  equip- 
ments. By  the  aid  of  a  half  crazy  mulatto,  named 
Maunie,  I  was  able  to  reach  a  valley  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  mountain  range ;  but  once  there  he  left 
me,  and  for  several  days  I  was  obliged  to  remain 
among  the  cacao  groves,  unable  to  return.  My  stay 
was  made  delightful  by  the  attentions  of  the  physician 
of  the  district,  Doctor  Lang,  and  the  parish  priest, 
Canon  Bond,  both  genial  and  cultivated  gentlemen. 
Through  the  valley  ran  the  largest  river  in  the 
island,  Cacao  River,  which  in  the  rainy  season  over- 
flowed its  banks  and  committed  great  havoc  among 
the  trees  of  the  cacaotiere,  or  cacao  grove.  The  trees 
grow  to  the  height  of  twenty  feet,  some  to  thirty, 
with  a  leaf  something  like  that  of  the  chestnut.  The 
tops  of  the  trees  are  intergrown,  forming  dense  shade, 
beneath  which,  among  the  smooth  stems,  one  can 
walk  in  comfort  even  at  noon.  Dead  and  fallen 
leaves  strew  the  ground  thickly,  even  as  the  chestnut 


26o  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

leaves  in  autumn,  and  all  around  are  little  heaps  of 
opened  pods,  from  which  the  pulp  has  been  taken  and 
the  seeds  extracted. 

The  tree  is  about  as  long  in  attaining  its  growth  as 
the  orange  tree ;  it  may  produce  in  the  third  year 
from  tiie  seed,  but  does  not  reach  its  full  bearing 
period  until  at  the  age  of  seven  or  eight.  It  is  a 
tender  plant  during  the  first  stages  of  its  growth,  and, 
like  the  coffee,  must  be  shaded  by  some  broad-leaved 
plant  like  the  plantain  or  banana,  which,  of  quicker 
growth,  are  set  out  near  the  seed  at  time  of  planting. 
Heat  and  moisture  are  indispensable  to  its  existence, 
but  one  without  the  other  proves  fatal  to  its  growth. 

We  may  consider  it  as  a  blessing  or  a  curse  to  the 
islands,  according  to  the  light  in  which  we  view  it. 
As  the  bread-fruit  is  reckoned  by  the  planters  as  a 
curse,  because  it  enables  the  negro  to  live  without 
work,  and  deprives  the  plantations  of  his  labor,  so  the 
cacao,  by  giving  its  cultivators  a  certain  income  with- 
out toil,  after  the  first  few  years  of  its  growth,  induces 
the  production  of  an  idle,  and  consequently  insolent, 
population.  Once  started  in  life  with  an  acre  or  so  of 
cacao  trees,  the  negro  asks  for  nothing  more,  his  wife 
and  children  gather  the  harvest,  and  he  enjoys  an 
idle  existence  as  only  a  negro  knows  how. 

The  fruit  of  the  cacao  resembles  somewhat  an 
overripe  cucumber  about  six  inches  in  length,  oval 
and  pointed.  Many  of  the  pods  grow  right  out  of 
the  trunk  of  the  tree,  hanging  by  short  stems,  and 
remind  one  of  tailless  rats.  They  are  beautifully 
colored,  varying  according  to  the  specimen  and  the 
progress  towards  maturity ;  some  are  green,  some 
yellow,  crimson  or  purple,  some  variegated  by  veins 


CACAO.  261 

of  different  colors.  Each  pod  is  divided  into  five 
longitudinal  cells,  containing  a  sweetish,  agreeable 
pulp,  in  which  are  enveloped  the  seeds,  from  twenty 
to  thirty  in  number,  a  white,  pulpy  substance  in  a  thin 
shell.  When  the  fruit  is  mature  it  is  gathered,  and 
the  seeds  removed  and  dried ;  sometimes  they  are 
buried  in  sand  or  dry  earth  for  the  purpose  of  absorb- 
ing the  moisture  and  pulp  adhering  to  them. 

Great  care  is  necessary  in  curing  them,  as  they 
mold  easily,  and  the  planters  generally  provide  large 
platforms  on  wheels,  upon  which  the  seeds  are  spread, 
which  they  run  out  from  under  a  shelter,  on  sunshiny 
days,  and  keep  an  old  negro  on  the  watch  for  rain. 
When  perfectly  dry,  the  seeds  are  put  in  bags  for  ship- 
ment to  England.  The  native  method  of  preparing 
chocolate  from  the  seeds,  is  to  roast  them,  and  grind 
finely  on  a  warm,  smooth  stone.  When  well  kneaded 
it  forms  a  tenacious  paste,  which,  with  the  addition  of 
a  little  sugar,  is  made  into  small  rolls,  or  sticks.  This, 
in  its  pure  state,  is  made  into  a  delightful  drink ;  but, 
as  prepared  in  places  foreign  to  the  country  of  its  pro- 
duction, is  largely  adulterated.  It  is  generally  flavored 
with  vanilla,  or  some  other  agreeable  extract,  this 
being  the  favorite. 

Happy  and  contented  as  the  negro  may  be  in  his 
wealth  of  cacao  treeSr  he  is  sometimes  enraged  at  the 
depredations  committed  by  the  forest  quadrupeds,  for 
the  rats,  not  content  with  the  succulent  sugar  cane, 
eagerly  seek  out  the  sweet  pulp  of  the  cacao.  Where 
monkeys  are  abundant,  as  in  Grenada,  they  commit 
great  havoc,  not  only  gnawing  holes  in  the  pods  as 
they  hang  on  the  trees,  but  carrying  awa}'  all  they 


262  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

can  hold  in  their  arms.  In  one  of  my  monkey-hunting 
excursions  I  stopped  at  the  house  of  a  very  agreeable 
planter,  in  the  mountains.  He  declared  that  one  year 
the  monkeys  nearly  destroyed  his  crop ;  and  not  only 
ate  the  cacao  seeds,  but  brought  the  empty  pods  and 
placed  them  on  his  doorstep,  thus  adding  insult  to 
injury. 


A   MONKEY    HUNT 'IN    THE    MOUNTAINS.  263 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

A  MONKEY  HUNT  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

ZONES  OF  VEGETATIOX.  —  NAKED  NEGROES.  —  THE  ROAD  TO 
THE  MOUNTAINS.  —  THE  GRAND  ETANG.  —  QUADRUPEDS  OP 
THE  LESSER  ANTILLES,  EXTINCT  AND  LIVING. — -THE  ALCO. — 
PECCARY. —  AGOUTI. —  M  ANACOU. —  ARMADILLO.  — •  RACCOON.  — • 
A  VISIT  TO  THE  "  TATOUAY  TRAPS."  —  THE  FOREST  SURROUND- 
ING THE  MOUNTAIN  LAKE.  —  '•  IIAGINAMAH  "  :  IS  IT  A  CARIB 
WORD? — "IIOG-IN-ARMOR,"  NOT  A  CARIIJ  WORD.  —  "LE  MORNE 
DES  SAUTEURS."  —  THE  PLANTAIN  SWAMP.  —  SIGNS  07  MONK- 
EYS.—  THE  MONKEYS'  LADDER.  —  HABITS  OF  WILD  MONKEYS. 
—  THE  MAMMIE  APPLE.  —  IN  AMBUSH.  —  FEATHERED  COM- 
PANIONS.—  THE  BETE  ROUGE.  —  AN  AGED  MONKEY.  —  HIS  CAU- 
TION.—  DESCENDING  THE  LADDER. —  MONKEYS,  GIDDY  AND 
GRAVE. — COUNTING  HIS  FLOCK.  —  THE  MONKEY  RECOGNIZES 
A  BROTHER.  —  "  SHOOT  !  SHOOT  I  "  —  A  FREE  CIRCUS.  —  A  MAN, 
AND  A  BROTHER.  —  THE  MONKEY-MAMMA.  —  HER  TERROR. — 
AN    IMPOLITIC    IMP. 

THERE  are  monkeys  in  Grenada ;  many  a  poor 
cultivator  knows  this  to  his  cost.  There  are 
troops  of  monkeys,  who  thread  the  mazes  of  the  moun- 
tain forest,  living  in  the  trees,  scarce  ever  descending 
to  earth.  To  get  them,  one  must  go  to  the  moun- 
tains, must  penetrate  the  great  interior  forests,  and 
hunt  patiently  the  dark  woods  encircling  the  moun- 
tain lake,  the  lake  in  the  crater.  He  must  camp  by 
the  lake  in  the  crater  to  get  the  "  crayters "  by  the 
lake. 


264  CAMPS   IN   THe'cARIBBEES. 

In  this  island  there  are  two  zones  of  vegetation  and 
of  animal  life,  that  of  the  coast  and  that  of  the  moun- 
tains. The  shore  lines  are  broken ;  precipitous  cliffs 
shoot  up  out  of  the  sea  and  huge  rocks  stand  out  gray 
and  bare,  alternated  by  lovely  bays.  A  vegetation  of 
low  growth  covers  the  hills  along  the  shore,  affording 
shelter  for  few  birds ;  where  a  dense  growth  of  vines, 
or  a  flowering  shrub  occurs,  a  cactus,  or  a  frangi- 
panni,  there  may  be  found  the  humming-birds.  The 
second  zone,  or  belt,  comprises  that  portion  contain- 
ing the  most  luxuriant  vegetation  and  the  greatest 
variety  of  tropical  forms.  It  may  be  roughly  esti- 
mated as  lying  between  one  thousand  and  twenty-five 
hundred  feet  above  the  sea.  Here  are  nearly  all  the 
birds  of  the  lowland  in  profusion  and  many  species 
not  found  below.  To  the  mountains,  then,  I  must  go, 
if  I  would  secure  new  birds  or  seek  to  slay  a  monkey. 

Leaving  the  hot  road  that  wound  along  the  shore, 
I  took  another,  beneath  volcanic  cliffs,  rode  beneath 
rustling  palm-trees  and  out  upon  a  river  bank,  where 
were  congregated  the  washerwomen  of  the  town. 
Cool  were  they  in  attire  and  in  effrontery,  as  they 
waded  knee-deep  the  shallows  of  the  stream,  reclined 
upon  the  rocks,  or  sat  chatting  upon  the  banks,  with 
no  raiment  save  a  handkerchief  wrapped  about  the 
loins.  Old  women,  young  women,  girls  and  boys,  and 
little  "pick'nees"  waded  the  stream,  most  of  them 
naked  as  the  rocks  the  river  laved.  Black  were  they 
as  those  traditional  crows,  and  no  raven's  wing  could 
be  glossier  than  their  shining  skins. 

Half-way  to  the  mountain  lake  is  the  little  hamlet 
of  Constantine,  where,  on  a  narrow  ridge  between 
two  deep  valleys,  a  little  chapel  overlooks  other  val- 


A    MONKEY    HUNT    IN    THE    MOUNTAINS.  265 

leys  of  palms  to  the  sea.  Above,  the  road  is  narrow 
and  steep,  but  flagged  with  rough  stones ;  it  leads 
throu(;h  diminutive  forests  of  cacao,  each  with  a  little 
thatched  hut  as  its  center,  and  then  houses  and  groves 
are  left,  and  the  high  woods  entered,  cutting  through 
banks  of  clay  over  which  vines  and  trees  lean,  ready 
to  fall.  On  the  crest  of  the  mountain-ridge,  three 
miles  from  any  neighbor,  is  a  house  surrounded  by  a 
cleared  space  ;  flowers  bloom  in  a  little  garden,  and 


pRAND     EtANG. 

bananas  wave  tattered  pennons  in  the  wind.  A  ve- 
randa looks  to  the  south,  and  a  negro  policeman  looks 
at  me  as  I  ride  to  the  door.  This  was  the  police  sta- 
tion, the  "Grand-Etang  House;"  and  to  the  man  in 
charge  I  gave  a  letter  from  his  chief  in  town,  directing 
him  to  aid,  by  all  lawful  means,  my  attempts  to  secure 
a  monkey. 

From  the  elevated  character  of  the  region,  the 
Grand  Etang  House  was  most  unpleasantly  cold  at 
night ;    rude    blasts    assailed   it,   and  fierce  tempests 


266  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

wrestled  with  it.  In  town,  seven  miles  distant,  the 
temperature  was  ten  degrees  hotter  than  here  on  the 
mountain-top,  ranging  from  eighty  to  ninety.  The 
sudden  change  in  temperature  chilled  me;  the  eleva- 
tion depressed  me.  There  were  hooks  for  hammocks, 
and  an  iron  bedstead,  but  no  mattresses;  the  hooks 
were  high  up,  and  my  hammock  (a  netted  "Ashan- 
tee  ")  from  long  use  now  bulged  like  a  pudding-bag, 
consequently  I  was  doubled  up  all  night,  neck  to  heels. 

The  lake,  elliptical  in  outline,  two  thousand  feet 
above  the  sea,  is  in  full  view  from  the  house.  A 
range  of  mountains  encloses  all  —  two  craters,  and  the 
dividing  ridge  on  which  the  house  is  built.  An  inner 
circle  of  hills,  clothed  in  tropical  trees,  rises  around 
the  lake,  forming  the  basin. 

The  man  in  charge  of  the  house,  its  sole  occupant, 
had  a  number  of  traps,  or  dead-falls,  set  in  the  forest 
beyond  the  lake,  for  the  agouti  and  armadillo.  These 
two  animals,  with  the  monkeys,  are  about  the  only 
forest  quadrupeds  larger  than  an  opossum  remaining 
in  these  islands.  At  the  time  of  their  discovery,  the 
Lesser  Antilles  possessed  several  species  now  exter- 
minated. The  most  interesting  was  a  small  animal 
like  a  dog,  found  by  the  Spaniards  among  the  Indians 
of  Haiti,  a  native  of  the  New  World,  called  by  them 
the  "alco."  In  St.  Domingo  there  were  no  other  dogs. 
It  was  a  shy,  gentle  creature,  and  perfectly  mute,  and 
was  as  much  beloved  by  the  Indians  as  their  children, 
being  carried  by  then^  in  their  arms  wherever  they 
went.  It  is  now  extinct.  Tiie  peccary,  or  "  Mexican 
musk-hog,"  once  abundant  in  these  islands,  has  been 
exterminated  from  all  but  Tobago ;  the  hogs  of  Do- 
minica and  St.  Vincent  being  the  domestic  species 


A  MONKEY  HUNT  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS.     267 

run  wild.  The  agouti  {Dasyp?-octa  agouti),  a  rodent, 
native  to  the  West  Indies  and  South  America,  is  the 
most  abundant  of  any  quadruped  in  the  Antilles,  being 
found  in  most  of  them  at  the  present  day.  An  opos- 
sum, said  to  have  been  introduced  from  South  Amer- 
ica, called  by  the  negroes  the  manicou,  or  manitou, 
is  very  numerous,  and  is  a  terror  to  the  negroes' 
chickens.  In  Guadeloupe,  alone  of  the  chain,  may 
yet  be  found  the  raccoon,  though  the  present  species 
is  not  considered  an  indigenous  one.  The  armadillo, 
once  common  in  every  island,  is  now  found  only  in 
Grenada  and  Tobago  ;  it  is  the  nine-banded  arma- 
dillo, called  by  the  natives  the  "  tatou,"  or  "tatouay," 
and  is  nocturnal  in  its  habits. 

To  visit  his  "  tatou  traps,"  my  new  friend  the  black 
policeman,  and  myself,  sallied  forth  early  in  the  morn- 
ing. In  a  few  minutes  we  were  out  of  sight  of  the 
house  and  in  as  deep  a  forest  as  any  in  these  wilds. 
All  forests  of  the  "  high-woods  "  resemble  each  other 
so  much  that  my  description  of  those  of  Dominica  and 
Guadeloupe  will  answer  for  this.  They  are  composed 
of  giant  trees,  woven  together  by  masses  of  vines, 
through  which  a  path  must  sometimes  be  hewn  with 
the  cutlass ;  trees  and  vines  are  hidden  beneath  thou- 
sands upon  thousands  of  air-plants  and  parasites, 
which  are  the  most  conspicuous  vegetation  of  these 

forests. 

"  Like  restless  serpents  clothed 
In  rainbow  and  in  fire,  the  parasites, 
Starred  with  ten  thousand  blossoms,  flow  around 
The  gray  trunks." 

We  passed  through  groves  of  the  mountain  palm, 
and  here  put  to  flight  a  mountain  dove  or  two,  and 


268  CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 

found  a  nest  containing  two  coffee-colored  eggs.  It 
was  built  right  in  the  center  of  a  great  parasite,  a 
plant  with  broad  leaves  resembling  those  of  the  sym- 
plocarpus,  attached  to  the  stem  of  a  tree,  about  four 
feet  from  tlie  ground.  A  humming-bird  or  two  dashed 
past  us,  and  falling  seeds,  as  we  entered  a  tract  of 
high  trees,  warned  us  that  there  were  wood-pigeons 
in  the  leaf}'^  tops  above  us.  All  around  was  strewn  a 
sweet  fruit,  like  a  yellow  plum,  called  "penny-apiece," 
which  is  much  enjoyed  by  the  negroes  and  by  the 
birds  and  agoutis. 

My  friend  stooped,  pointed  to  some  impressions  of 
feet  in  the  moist  earth,  and  whispered,  "  Haginamah." 
They  were  tracks  of  the  armadillo,  though  the  black 
had  designated  them  by  a  name  unknown  to  me ;  it 
had  a  Carib  flavor  to  it.  So  I  asked  him  if  "  hagina- 
mah "  was  a  name  for  the  armadillo,  and  he  replied 
that  it  was ;  "  Haginamah  and  tatou  same  with  arm'- 
dilla,  sah."  Here  was  a  discovery  —  an  animal  that 
retained  its  original  Carib  appellation. 

In  Grenada  the  Caribs  once  maintained  supreme 
control ;  they  were  fierce,  and  a  terror  to  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  continent,  upon  whose  coasts  they  often 
descended.  At  the  northern  end  of  Grenada  is  a  high 
bluff,  descending  to  the  sea  in  a  precipice,  over  which, 
tradition  relates,  the  last  of  the  Caribs  leaped  in  de- 
spair when  pursued  by  their  enemies.  The  cliff  is 
yet  known  as  the  Hill  of  the  Leapers — Le  Mornt 
dcs  SatUcurs. 

It  rejoiced  me  to  find,  as  I  thought,  a  pure  Carib 
name,  handed  down  among  the  people  of  an  island 
from  which  the  Caribs  theqiselves  had  been  extinct 
a  century  ;  but  my  pleasure  was  suddenly  checked ; 


A  MONKEY  HUNT  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS.     269 

"Haginamah,  sah,  because  him  have  a7nah,  an'  look 
like  hog."  Then  I  saw  my  mistake  —  hog-in-armor 
—  an  applicable  name. 

We  inspected  several  traps,  but  found  no  arma- 
dillos. When  two-thirds  around  the  lake,  we  came 
to  the  borders  of  a  swamp  containing  acres  of  plan- 
tains and  bananas  in  a  semi-wild  state.  What  a  trop- 
ical forest  —  those  huge  plants  rising  fifteen  feet  above 
the  ground,  with  their  broad  leaves  flapping  in  the 
breeze  !  It  seemed  as  though  I  had  been  transported 
to  a  world  directly  beneath  the  equator. 

My  companion  enjoined  caution  now,  for,  the  plan- 
tains being  heavy  with  fruit,  it  was  possible  we  might 
meet  with  monkeys,  or  at  least  such  traces  of  them  as 
might  lead  to  the  capture  of  one  on  the  morrow.  We 
floundered  through  the  dark  forest,  the  negro  cutting 
a  path  with  his  cutlass  through  the  fallen  leaves  which 
made  a  deposit  sometimes  waist-deep.  In  about  the 
center  of  the  swamp  he  stopped  me,  and  pointed  to 
the  ground  beneath  an  immense  clump  of  plantains, 
where  I  saw  some  scattered  fruit,  torn  from  the  de- 
pending stems  above  and  thrown  upon  the  ground, 
half  eaten  by  those  wasteful  creatures,  the  monkeys. 
The  bunches  of  plantains  were  some  of  them  a  load 
sufficient  for  a  man  to  carry,  and  now  and  then  there 
was  a  banana-plant,  with  a  bunch  of  a  hundred  or 
more.  These  plants,  all  of  them,  must  have  origi- 
nated from  some  runaway  negro's  provision-ground, 
abandoned  many  years  ago. 

Following  a  broken  and  interrupted  trail,  as  indi- 
cated by  fragments  of  banana  and  plantain,  we  finally 
traced  the  monkeys  to  the  base  of  a  high  cliff  form- 
ing part  of  the  enclosing  wall  of  the  ancient  crater. 


270  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

Here  we  found  the  tree  by  which  they  descended 
from  the  heights  above  when  they  visited  the  banana 
swamp  —  an  immense  ^guicr,  which  had  grown  out 
of  a  cleft  in  the  rock,  and  had  established  itself  on  the 
face  of  the  cliff  by  a  hundred  roots  and  rootlets, 
aerial  and  terrestrial,  covering  the  rock  with  a  mesh- 
work  ;  from  the  upper  branches  hung  long  lianas,  like 
twisted  cordage,  down  which  monkeys  would  take 
delight  in  swinging  themselves.  Down  this  great 
natural  ladder  —  the  monkeys'  highway  —  they  always 
came,  whence  they  scattered  through  the  plantain 
groves.  Often  have  they  been  hunted  while  there; 
but  upon  the  approach  of  any  one,  no  matter  how 
silently,  their  noise  ceased  at  once,  though  they  were 
grunting  and  barking  noisily  before ;  and  in  a  few 
minutes  they  could  be  heard  hundreds  of  3'ards  awa3^ 

It  is  difficult  to  find  them  if  wounded,  as  they  hide, 
and  cling  tenaciously  to  bush  and  tree.  While  travel- 
ing (always  among  the  tops  of  the  highest  trees) 
they  grunt  and  bark  like  dogs,  and  while  feeding  they 
have  a  peculiar,  low,  murmuring  chatter.  They  are 
invariably  led  by  the  oldest  monkey,  who  is  exceed- 
ing sly. 

The  negro  examined  the  ground  where  the  monkeys 
seemed  to  have  held  a  last  sitting  over  their  harvest 
of  plantains,  and  declared  they  had  been  gone  several 
hours.  He  thought  they  would  return  in  the  morning, 
as  tiiey  have  regular  circuits  of  travel,  appearing  in 
one  section  in  the  morning,  and  in  another  miles  away 
in  the  afternoon  ;  among  the  wild  plantains  and  nut- 
trees  of  the  mountains  in  the  evening,  and  carrying 
destruction  to  the  cacao  and  nutmeg  groves  at  dawn. 
I  have  seen  heaps  of  cacao-pods,  each  with  a  small 


A  MONKEY  HUNT  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS.     27I 

hole  in  it,  an  inch  or  so  in  diameter,  where  the  monkey 
had  thrust  in  his  hand  to  scoop  out  the  pulp.  They 
gather  the  nutmegs  also,  but  after  biting  the  shell 
throw  them  away,  not  liking  them.  Yet  they  repeat 
this  every  lime  they  visit  a  grove. 

The  man  decided  it  was  better  to  leave  the  place 
till  morning,  and  I  yielded  to  his  superior  knowledge 
of  monkeys,  though  I  could  not  refrain  asking  why  it 
was  not  as  well  to  wait  for  them  then.  He  turned 
upon  me  with:  "You  know  macaque^  otiit  He  heah 
now,  and  den  he  no  heah ;  umph ! "  Throughout 
Grenada  the  natives  speak  French  patois,  and  even 
those  who  claim  to  speak  English  cannot  avoid  giv- 
ing utterance  to  a  French  word  now  and  then. 

We  returned  to  the  house,  where  I  passed  another 
wearisome  night.  People  from  St.  George's  passed  in 
the  evening  on  their  way  to  La  Bay,  a  distance  of 
fourteen  miles,  carrying  loads  on  their  heads  sufficient 
to  stagger  an  Irish  laborer.  From  a  woman  who 
came  up  from  the  negro  village  of  Delphi  I  bought  a 
Carib  basket ;  this  art  of  basket-weaving  having 
survived  the  Indians  who  practiced  and  taught  it. 
The  plant  from  which  the  baskets  are  made  grows  in 
the  deep  woods  —  a  slender,  reed-like  shaft,  with  a 
coronal  of  leaves  about  a  foot  in  length. 

A  man  shouted  out  to  us  at  dark,  as  he  passed,  that 
a  whole  troop  of  monkeys  came  down  to  his  grounds 
near  his  cacao,  where  he  might  have  shot  one  had  he 
tried  ;  and  a  woman  also  stopped  and  told  us  that  an- 
other troop  had  been  feasting  on  the  "  mammee  trees  " 
near  her  grounds,  a  few  miles  distant.  Just  before 
dark,  our  dog  rushed  out  and  barked  furiously  at 
something  in  a  tall  parrot-apple  tree  in  the  basin  below 


272  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

the  house.  We  could  just  see  that  it  was  alive  with 
monkeys,  before  they  were  gone.  Between  monkeys 
and  dogs  there  is  a  strong  feeling  of  antipathy ;  the 
former  take  pleasure  in  annoying  the  latter,  and  will 
sometimes  approach  a  house,  when  no  one  is  in  sight, 
and  sit  at  a  safe  distance,  "  making  faces  "  at  the  dog, 
who  in  turn  nearly  goes  frantic  with  rage  in  vain 
attempts  to  reach  them. 

At  daylight,  guided  by  a  little  black  boy,  I  revisited 
the  plantain  swamp.  It  was  full  of  gloom,  and  I  sat 
down  under  a  tree.  Soon  a  black  object  descended 
the  cliff,  and  I  was  about  to  fire,  when  my  little  guide 
whispered  that  it  was  only  a  wild-cat.  Light  appeared, 
the  birds  awoke,  and  the  forest  was  vocal  with  sounds. 
The  tree  beneath  which  I  had  seated  myself  was  a 
"mammee-apple,"  whose  huge  bole  swelled  out  above 
me,  and  gnarled  limbs  stretched  out  and  up,  support- 
ing a  dense  canopy  of  leaves,  among  which  hung 
clusters  of  fruit.  This  fruit  is  about  as  large  as  an 
orange,  has  a  large  stone,  a  thin  rind  of  yellowish 
flesh,  and  tough,  russet  skin.  The  monkeys  had  left 
the  ground  strewn  with  fruit,  which  they  had  bitten  iu 
mere  wantonness,  and  then  throwrn  away.  The  many 
fresh  leaves  on  the  ground  here  also  attested  their 
recent  visit.  Behind  me  was  the  cliff,  below  me  the 
waving  plantains,  surrounded  by  forest  so  dense  as  to 
hide  the  sky. 

A  large,  brown  humming-bird  frequently  dashed  at 
me  with  a  ''whoof,  whoof,"  of  its  wings,  halting  in 
air  to  look  at  me,  then  'darting  off  to  return  for  an- 
other look,  regarding  me  with  suspicious  eyes.  Hum- 
ming-birds of  the  deep  woods  do  not  seem  to  be 
familiar  with  the  presence  of  man,  for  repeatedly  in 


A    MONKEY    HUNT    IN    THE    MOUNTAINS.  273 

the  past  two  years  I  have  been  attacked,  as  it  were, 
by  them.  Instantly  they  see  me  they  will  dart  at  my 
face,  Jialting  only  a  foot  or  so  from  it,  or  whirl  in 
dizzy  circles  about  me.  The  whir  of  their  wings  will 
often  startle  me,  coming  unexpectedly  from  some  dark 
thicket  in  some  walled-in  river-bed,  or  from  behind 
some  great  tree-trunk  in  the  high  woods.  It  is  always 
in  the  mountain  forest  that  this  happens.  I  can  call  a 
few  about  me  at  any  time,  by  imitating  their  excited 
cries ;  they  dart  at  once  to  ascertain  the  cause,  with 
sharp,  nervous  chirps  of  alarm.  Even  when  they  have 
flown  right  into  my  face  they  will  not  be  satisfied,  but 
must  perch  near,  and  regard  me  for  a  while  intently. 
If  I  then  move,  they  dart  at  me  with  a  chirp  of  in- 
dignant defiance,  and  at  once  disappear. 

The  fragrance  of  the  bitten  fruit  filled  the  air,  and 
insects  gathered  on  the  broken  skin,  but  no  monkeys 
came  to  claim  the  remainder  hanging  on  the  tree. 
For  nearly  an  hour  a  mountain  dove  had  been  "  groan- 
ing "  near  me  —  the  hollow  moan  they  oft  reiterate  is 
aptly  called  a  groan  by  the  negroes.  They  have  a 
soft,  rapid  flight,  with  a  hollow  sktrr  when  startled  or 
surprised  in  their  flight  by  coming  near  you  and 
suddenly  altering  their  course. 

Eleven  o'clock.  The  sun  had  long  since  shone 
through  the  trees  above  the  cliff",  yet  the  coolness  of 
this  dense  wood  was  little  abated.  Birds  in  the  tree- 
tops  were  shaking  down  berries  now  and  then,  and  the 
wind  showered  down  leaves,  but  no  monkeys  yet  dis- 
turbed the  branches  above.  Lizards  leaped  from 
bough  to  bough,  climbing  up  the  tree  and  pattering 
over  the  leaves ;  they  were  pursuing  one  another 
everywhere,  and  caused  many  of  the  various  move- 
i8 


274  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

ments  in  the  trees  that  attracted  my  attention  and 
made  me  look  up  anxiously,  expecting  monkeys. 

A  little  carthiola  was  building  its  nest ;  he  was 
actively  at  work  and  had  nearly  finished  it,  and  was 
tearing  strips  from  the  dead  and  dry  balisier  with 
which  to  line  it.  It  defended  its  nest  with  great  spirit, 
and  attacked  any  bird  coming  near.  Now  and  then  it 
robbed  another  nearly  completed  nest  of  material, 
making  a  squabble  with  its  owner. 

By  an  intolerable  itching,  which  no  amount  of 
scratching  could  allay,  I  became  aware  that  my  legs 
were  covered  with  that  insect  pest  of  the  tropics,  the 
bete  rouge  —  an  insect  so  small  as  to  be  scarcely  visible 
to  the  naked  eye,  the  bites  of  which  cause  great  suf- 
fering. In  the  rainy  season,  especially,  is  this  insect 
annoying;  then  one  cannot  walk  in  the  grass  without 
getting  covered  with  it.  It  sometimes  causes  sores  or 
ulcers,  the  result  of  scratching,  and  the  only  remedy 
is  to  cover  the  body  with  grease  or  oil.  So  intense 
became  the  pain  that  I  could  no  longer  remain  quiet, 
and  was  dancing  a  frantic  jig  when  my  little  darky 
pulled  my  coat  and  pointed  to  the  cliff. 

The  vines  hanging  from  the  limbs  of  the  great  tree 
were  shaking,  and  a  low  murmur  of  many  monkey 
voices  announced  the  coming  of  the  troop.  A  round 
head  peeped  forth  from  the  leaves,  a  hairy  face,  that 
was  directly  withdrawn,  and  its  place  supplied  by 
another,  older  apparently,  and  having  a  look  on 
its  wrinkled  visage  of  preternatural  wisdom.  This 
wrinkled  face  was  followed  by  a  grisly  body,  and 
soon  an  immense  old  fellow  was  clinging  to  the  lianas 
and  swinging  himself  downward.  He  was  followed 
by  a  score  or  more  of  others,  tumbling  promiscuously 


A    MONKEY    HUNT    IN    THE    MOUNTAINS.  275 

one  over  each  other,  clutching  at  the  vines  and  at  one 
another's  tails.  There  were  old  monkeys,  fathers  of 
families,  with  serious  countenances,  cautiously  feeling 
then"  way,  and  snifiing  the  air ;  matronly  monkeys, 
with  young  ones  clinging  about  their  necks,  a  world 
of  care  and  responsibility  expressed  in  their  faces ; 
young  and  frisky  monkeys,  who  came  trooping  down, 
hand  under  hand,  snatching  at  a  tail  here  and  there, 
or  tweaking  an  ear,  as  they  tumbled  over  the  slow- 
going  fathers  and  mothers,  stopping  a  second  now  and 
then  to  bite  the  tail  of  some  unfortunate  baby-monkey, 
who  would  instantly  set  up  a  howl  of  anguish. 
.  Ah  !  how  those  young  sports  enjoyed  themselves. 
They  had  not  a  care  in  the  world  ;  the  gray  old  patri- 
arch who  had  reconnoitred  the  situation  had  pro- 
nounced "  all  safe,"  and  upon  him  rested  the  responsi- 
bility ;  they  would  not  burden  themselves  with  care. 
They  ogled  the  maiden  monkeys  —  shy  and  coy  were 
those  virgin  monkeys  —  and  they  snapped  spitefully  at 
any  gallant  who  seemed  disposed  to  take  unwarrant- 
able liberties.  They  pressed  upon  the  patriarch,  who 
at  once  resented  such  unseemly  haste  and  familiarity 
by  seizing  the  nearest  by  the  scruff  of  his  neck,  shak- 
ing him  violently,  and  then,  without  moving  a  muscle 
of  his  solemn  countenance,  dropping  him  into  a  clump 
of  parasites. 

This  episode  threw  the  foremost  monkeys  back  upon 
the  column,  so  that  they  were  so  densely  crowded  to- 
gether as  to  hide  the  cables ;  they  looked  like  a  huge, 
braided  string  of  onions.  Then  they  stretched  out 
again,  over  the  hundred  or  so  feet  of  lianas,  a  perfect 
chain,  like  an  immense  link  of  living  sausages,  and  — 
though  I  do  not  claim  to  have  discovered  more  than 


276  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

Darwin — in   my  monkey  chain  there  was   not  t>ne 
missing  link. 

At  last  they  disappeared  below  the  plantain-tops, 
and  I  could  hear  the  old  chief  marshalling  them  at 
the  foot  of  the  cliff.  "  Hark  !  "  whispered  the  little 
negro  by  my  side,  "he  old  man  counting  him  ma- 
caque."  True  enough,  the  old  man  was  counting  his 
flock  ;  there  was  silence  immediately  after  the  descent, 
broken  by  grunts,  as  old  gray-back  tallied  them  off — 
**  ump,  ump,  ump  —  go  !  " 

It  really  seemed  as  though  he  gave  the  word ;  and 
there  is  no  doubt  he  did,  as,  at  the  last  grunt,  there 
was  a  scampering,  and  the  monkeys  scattered  them- 
selves through  the  grove.  Not  so  with  the  ancient ; 
he  duly  felt  the  weight  of  responsibility,  and  did  not 
join  the  rest  in  their  sport  or  search  for  food,  but  as- 
cended the  ladder  of  vines,  and  perched  himself  in  the 
fork  of  a  limb  overlooking  the  whole  field. 

During  this  time  I  was  most  assuredly  excited.  By 
darting  forward,  when  that  chain  of  monkeys  was  sus- 
pended in  mid-air,  I  could  have  got  two  good  shots 
into  them  before  they  dispersed.  But  at  least  two 
motives  restrained  me  :  first,  I  wished  to  observe  their 
actions ;  second,  I  shrank  from  killing  creatures  so 
human-like.  The  temptation  was  so  strong,  however, 
that  I  could  only  withhold  myself  by  great  effort,  and 
was  trembling  with  excitement.  Again,  what  if  there 
was  some  remote  relation  in  that  throng?  or  —  what 
was  more  probable  —  some  descendant  of  an  ancestor 
in  common  with  the  little  negro  crouching  by  my  side? 
Such  thoughts  restrained  me. 

Meanwhile,  the  grove  was  alive  with  monkeys, 
tearing   down   bunches   of    bananas    and    plantains. 


A  MONKEY  HUNT  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS.     277 

scaling  the  mammee  trees  and  twisting  off  the  fruit. 
In  a  Httle  while  one  of  them  reached  the  tree  beneath 
which  we  sat;  a  young  male,  about  half  grown,  re- 
joicing in  his  strength.  The  black  monkey  by  my 
side  could  not  rest,  and  urged  me,  in  excited  whispers, 
to  shoot  I  He  at  least  had  no  misgiv'ings  on  the  score 
of  relationship,  even  though  the  resemblance  between 
the  two  —  the  monkey  in  the  tree,  and  the  African, 
the  monkey  on  the  ground  —  was  strong  enough  to 
excite  a  smile. 

I  think  the  monkey  in  the  tree  must  have  noticed 
this  resemblance,  for  he  saw  us  just  then  and  stopped. 
The  more  he  contemplated  my  companion,  the  stronger 
seemed  to  become  his  convictions  that  he  had  found  a 
long-lost  brother.  He  let  himself  down  by  his  tail, 
and  beckoned  for  the  negro  to  come  up  ;  and  then 
commenced  a  series  of  evolutions  that  would  have 
shamed  an  acrobat;  all,  evidently,  with  a  desire  of 
impressing  his  brother  on  the  ground  with  the  ad- 
vantages of  an  arboreal  over  a  terrestrial  mode  of  life. 
And  the  little  sinner  near  me  was  all  this  time  urging 
me  to  shoot  that  innocent  animal  in  the  t'^ee,  whose 
only  fault  consisted  in  being  a  monkey.  But  I  could 
not.  I  would  as  soon  have  thought  of  shootijig  the 
clown  who  performed  for  my  amusement  in  the  circus, 
as  of  killing  that  little  harlequin  in  the  tree.  I  now 
regarded  the  whole  thing  as  the  "biggest  show  on 
earth," — as  Barnum  has  it,  —  and  would  not  sully  the 
pure  enjoyment  of  it  by  what,  I  could  not  help  think- 
ing, would  be  murder  in  the  first  degree. 

The  little  man  in  the  tree  swung  himself  into  space 
and  disappeared ;  in  a  few  minutes  he  came  skipping 
gleefully   along,   followed  by  a  monkey  of  maturer 


278  CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 

years,  evidently  his  mother,  about  whose  neck  was 
dangling  an  infant  a  few  months  old.  To  her  the 
delighted  reprobate  pointed  us  out ;  inquiring,  in  mon- 
key language,  probably,  if  those  objects  below  were 
not  "  a  man,  and  a  brother." 

What  a  look  of  horror  convulsed  the  old  lady's  face 
when  she  saw  herself  in  such  proximity  to  a  dreaded 
man,  an  enemy  to  her  race  !  She  turned  about  with 
such  violence  as  to  jerk  loose  the  infant  that  clung 
about  her  neck,  who  fell  to  the  ground.  Maternal 
solicitude,  even,  could  not  arrest  her  flight,  as  she 
fled  chattering  to  the  vine-ladder,  and  hurriedly  as- 
cended it,  followed  by  her  wondering  son. 

A  bark  from  the  patriarch  summoned  the  rest  of  the 
gang  so  quickly,  that  they  slid  over  those  lianas  and 
out  of  sight  behind  the  cliff,  in  less  time  than  I  can 
write  it  in.  Not  one  remained,  save  that  infant 
monkey  on  the  ground,  which  was  just  recovering 
its  scattered  senses  as  little  Jim  darted  forward  to 
secure  it.  Quickly  as  Jim  rushed  out,  the  monkey 
was  yet  more  agile,  and  gathered  himself  up  and 
leaped  into  a  clump  of  razor-grass.  Into  this  the 
little  negro  dashed,  regardless  of  the  cuts  of  the 
cruel  J)lades. 

The  razor-grass  is  a  terrible  pest  in  these  woods, 
climbing  into  trees  and  overhanging  trails ;  every 
leaf  of  it  which  touches  you  clings  to  you  and  cuts 
like  a  jagged-edged  razor.  Spite  of  his  burning 
desire  to  capture  a  monkey,  Jim  was  obliged  to  stop 
and  disentangle  himself,  and  before  I  had  gained  the 
scene,  the  monkey  was  in  the  lianas.  Slowly  and 
feebly  it  ascended,  but  I  could  not  shake  it  down,  and 
to  shoot  it  was  out  of  the  question. 


A  MONKEY  HUNT  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 


279 


As  it  reached  the  tree,  its  mother  sprang  to  seize  it, 
and  glided  with  it  into  the  forest,  and  I  awoke  to  the 
fact  that  I  had  missed  my  opportunity,  and  had  been 
spared  the  pain  of  sLiying  a  monkey. 


Palmiste. 


28o  CAMPS   IN   THE   CARIBBEES. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

SOME   SUMMER    DAYS   IN    MARTINIQUE. 
FROM  Crusoe's  island,  north.  —  frowning  cliffs.  —  golden 

SANDS.  —  birth  of  A  RAINBOW. — ST.  PIERRE.  —  THE  VOLCANO. 

—  OUR  CONSUL.  —  "OLD  FARMER'S  ALMANACK,"  GOOD  FOR 
ANY  LATITUDE. — FRENCH  BREAKFASTS. —  "LONG  TOMS."  — 
THE  WIDOW  AND  HER  WEED.  — PATOIS.  —  COSTUMES.  —  GOOD 
CLARET.  —  POOR  CALICO.  —  MARKET-WOMEN  AND  WASHER- 
WOMEN. —  GAUDY    GARMENTS.  —  PROFUSION    OF    ORNAMENTS. 

—  JARDIN  DES  PLANTES.  —  THE  SHRINE  AND  THE  TRAVELER'S 
TREE.  —  CREOLE  DUELING-GROUND.  —  PALM  AVENUES.  —  THE 
CASCADE.  —  SAGO  AND  ARECA  PALMS.  —  THE  LAKE.  — 
LAND-SNAILS.  —  LIZARDS.  —  TARANTULAS.  — THE  LANCE-HEAD 
SNAKE.  — VENOMOUS   AND  VENGEFUL. — THE  MOUNTAIN  REGION. 

—  HOT  SPRINGS.  —  AN  EXTINCT  VOLCANO.  —  A  HOLY  CITY.  — 
SABBATH  IN  THE  COUNTRY.  —  WARNED  OF  SNAKES.  —  HAVE 
ALLIGATOR  BOOTS.  —  THE  HUMBLE  SHRINE.  —  A  SHRIEK. — 
NARROW   ESCAPE.  —  THE   CRAFTY    SERPENT. 

UP  from  Tobago,  the  island  of  Crusoe's  adventures, 
I  sailed,  one  week  in  June,  for  Barbados.  Ten 
weeks  of  camp-life  in  that  historic  island  had  brought 
me  rich  returns,  in  rare  birds  and  pictures  of  interest- 
ing scenes.  The  captain  of  a  Nova  Scotia  schooner 
gave  me  passage  from  Barbados  to  the  Isle  of  Marti- 
nique, good  captain  Rudolph,  who  navigated  his  vessel 
so  skillfully  that  we  sighted  the  mountains  of  Marti- 
nique on  the  morning  of  the  second  day ;  the  same 
mountains  I  had  first  looked  upon  eighteen  months 
previously  coming  down  from  the  north. 


SOME    SUMMER    DAYS    IN    MARTINIQUE.  281 

The  wind  was  light ;  flying-fish  darted  in  all  direc- 
tions ;  little  sharp-prowed  canoes  came  sailing  in  out 
of  the  distance,  hailed  us  with  cheerful  bofi  Jours,  and 
disappeared  again  in  the  spray  and  mist.  We  sailed 
in  under  high,  frowning  cliffs,  down  which  fell  silver 
streams  into  the  sea  ;  past  broad  fields  of  cane,  smiling 
in  the  sunshine  ;  past  long  stretches  of  yellow  sand, 
overtopped  by  silent  palms  ;  beneath  a  towering  gloomy 
mountain  hiding  its  crest  in  cloud.  A  shower  came 
down  from  those  impending  clouds  and  pattered  over 
deck  and  sea,  ending  as  suddenly  as  it  had  com- 
menced ;  and  a  rainbow,  born  of  the  mist  and  the 
sunshine,  spanned  the  bay  of  St.  Pierre  from  head- 
land to  headland,  dissolving  at  either  end  above  a 
little  fishing-village,  bathing  houses  and  boats,  and 
nets,  and  beach,  in  glorious  showers  of  light. 

A  second  time  I  sailed  into  the  bay  of  St.  Pierre,  a 
second  time  looked  upon  the  volcano  rising  above  it. 
The  town  is  about  a  mile  in  length,  straggling  at  the 
north  away  down  the  coast,  ending  in  scattered 
villages ;  and  at  one  place,  where  a  river  makes  a 
break  in  the  cliffs,  creeping  up  toward  the  mountains. 
A  narrow  belt  between  high  cliffs  and  the  sea,  built 
into  and  under  them  ;  the  houses,  of  stone  and  brick, 
covered  with  brown  earthen  tiles,  tier  upon  tier,  climb- 
ing up  to  the  hills.  With  the  soft  mellow  tints  of  the 
tiles,  the  grays  of  the  walls,  the  frequent  clumps  of 
tamarind  and  mango,  and  with  the  magnificent  wall 
of  living  green  behind  it,  St.  Pierre  strikes  one  as  a 
beautiful  town  —  until  he  comes  to  analyze  it.  Then, 
the  windowless  loopholes  —  there  is  hardly  a  square 
of  glass  in  town,  save  in  the  stores  —  the  flapping 
shutters,  the  conglomerate  material  used  in  its  construe- 


282  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

tion,  combine  to  produce  a  feeling  of  revulsion.  But 
viewed  from  a  vessel  lying  in  the  harbor,  sufficiently 
remote  to  hide  its  incongruous  elements,  St.  Pierre 
again  appears  charming,  picturesque. 

Aside  from  the  hills  which  embrace  the  town  and 
come  down  to  the  sea  in  bold  spurs,  forming  an  arc 
with  a  chord  three  miles  in  length,  there  is  the  noble 
Montague  PelSe,  above  four  thousand  feet  in  height, 
a  mass  of  dark  green  with  jagged  outline,  cleft  into 
ravines  and  black  gorges,  down  which  run  rivers  in- 
numerable, gushing  from  the  internal  fountains  of 
this  great  volcano. 

The  streets  are  narrow  but  well-flagged,  and  every 
few  squares  is  a  fountain  ;  and  adown  the  gutters 
through  them  all  run  swift  streams,  carrj'ing  to  the  sea 
the  refuse  of  the  city.  St.  Pierre  is  the  commercial 
port  of  the  island,  and  there  are  many  stores  filled 
with  the  wines  and  wares  of  France.  There  are  a  fine 
cathedral ;  a  theatre  of  large  capacity,  to  which  for 
three  months  each  winter  a  troupe  from  Paris  draws 
crowded  houses ;  a  bishop's  palace  and  governor's 
residence,  with  large  and  handsome  barracks  for 
the  troops. 

Landing,  I  went,  as  a  matter  of  course,  to  the  con- 
sulate, where  a  picture  of  an  eagle,  grasping  the  red 
man's  arrows,  and  digging  his  claws  into  a  prostrate 
shield,  smiled  serenely  above  an  open  doorway.  The 
consul,  a  Massachusetts  man,  extended  to  me  a  warm 
welcome.  He  had  been  in  the  naval  service,  retir- 
ing wounded,  and  being  connected  with  influential 
politicians,  had  secured  this  mission  to  Martinique. 
It  is  well  known  with  what  liberal  hand  our  government 
rewards  its  wounded  heroes,  giving  the  more  importu- 


SOME    SUMMER    DAYS    IN    MARTINIQUE.  283 

nate,  positions  like  this,  where,  with  a  sahiry  of  fifteen 
hundred  dollars,  each  year  calls  upon  the  incumbent 
of  the  office  for  an  expenditure  of  at  least  two 
thousand.  The  British  consul  had  resided  in  Marti- 
nique fifteen  years,  and  received  a  salary  sufficient  to 
maintain  him  in  comfort.  Within  eighteen  months 
the  American  consulate  had  had  two  representatives. 
As  soon  as  one  is  prepared  to  execute  his  duties,  he  is 
kicked  out  and  room  made  for  another. 

Knowing  that  the  consul  was  from  Boston,  I  was 
not  surprised  to  see  in  his  office  an  "  Old  Farmer's 
Almanack ; "  but  I  was  greatly  enlightened  as  to  its 
uses  when,  one  day,  I  saw  him  take  it  from  its  nail 
and  gravely  announce  that,  according  to  the  tables  for 
July,  it  was  "time  to  take  a  drink."  As  the  tables  in 
that  almanac  are  prepared  for  the  latitude  of  Boston, 
I  wondered  at  the  genius  that  could  adapt  them  to  the 
latitude  of  Martinique  ;  but  it  is  probably  owing  to  the 
fact  that  much  latitude  is  allowed,  and  that  there  a 
drink  is  in  order  at  an}'^  time. 

Through  the  aid  of  the  consul,  I  secured  a  room 
and  board  in  a  private  family,  whose  delightful 
dejeuners  and  suppers  will  long  be  a  pleasant  remem- 
brance ;  and  may  the  good  old  mulattress  who  pre- 
pared them  fulfil  her  mission  for  many  years  to  come ! 
She  could  originate  savory  stews  and  ragouts  from  as 
nearly  nothing  as  any  cook  it  has  been  my  misfortune 
to  meet ;  her  "  ros-bif  "  was  excellent ;  and  with  a  few 
potatoes  and  a  little  flour  and  fat  she  would  produce 
^^ j[)otnme  de  terre  a  la  Martinique  "  —  as  she  called 
it  —  that  would  make  an  exile  from  Erin  howl  with 
delight.  With  each  plate  a  bottle  of  wine  and  a 
little  twisted  loaf  of  bread ;  and  after  the  dessert,  of 


284  CAMPS   IN  THE  CARIBBEES. 

bananas,  oranges,  and  sapadillos,  or  sour-sops,  came 
a  decanter  of  rum,  a  little  cup  of  black  coffee  with 
sugar,  and  cigarettes.  My  vis-a-vis  at  these  delight- 
ful repasts  was  the  Commissaire  of  Police,  an  ex- 
officer  of  the  navy  of  France,  and  a  Chevalier  of  the 
Legion  of  Honor.  It  need  not  be  added  that  he  was 
courteous  and  agreeable. 

The  Creoles  of  Martinique,  as  well  as  the  inhabi- 
tants coming  from  France,  have  but  few  vices,  the 
chief  of  which  is  that  they  will  smoke  the  vilest,  rank- 
est, most  disgusting  of  cigars.  These  obnoxious 
fabrications  are  of  Americap  tobacco,  twisted  by  the 
hand  of  the  negress,  or  mulattress,  into  a  long  cigar, 
called  by  the  sailors  "  long-toms,"  and  sold  at  a  sou 
apiece.  The  better  classes  smoke  cigarettes  of  im- 
ported French  tobacco,  and  are  as  expert  in  rolling 
them  when  wanted  as  any  Cuban  ;  but  the  negroes 
all,  male  and  female,  smoke  the  "long-toms."  In 
enumerating  the  good  qualities  of  my  ancient  cook,  I 
overlooked  the  fact  that  from  morn  to  night,  while  at- 
tending to  her  domestic  duties,  anxiously  bending  over 
the  pots  and  kettles,  she  never  once  relinquished  the 
comforting  weed. 

Through  the  kindness  of  the  photographer  of  St. 
Pierre,  Monsieur  Hartmann,  an  amiable  and  accom- 
plished gentleman,  I  was  introduced  into  the  cercle^ 
or  club,  where  French  in  its  purity  is  spoken.  The 
universal  language,  however,  is  that  of  the  common 
people,  the  patois,  or  provincial  dialect ;  and  even  the 
cultivated  speak,  colloquially,  the  French  tongue  in 
this  rude  form.  The  prejudice  against  everything  not 
exclusively  French  is  exceedingly  bitter,  though  the 
increasing   amount  of   foreign    imports  is   bringing 


SOME    SUMMER    DAYS    IN    MARTINIQUE.  285 

articles  from  the  United  States  into  favor.  Clothing 
is  higher  than  in  the  English  islands,  and  tailors  few 
and  inexpert.  The  business  dress  is  the  loose-fitting, 
blue  or  black,  blouse,  and  white  pants.  The  hot  and 
stiff  panama  is  preferred  to  all  other  hats,  though  its 
closeness  of  texture,  affording  no  chance  for  ventila- 
tion, makes  it  the  very  worst  possible  for  a  tropical 
climate.  Some  of  the  more  sensible,  however,  are 
adopting  the  cool  and  well-ventilated  Indian  pith  hel- 
met, so  much  worn  in  the  English  islands.  Panamas 
are  the  rage,  and  every  street  has  its  magasin,  or 
store,  with  the  conspicuous  sign,  "  Chateaux  de  Pana- 
ma veritable,^''  some  of  which  sell  as  high  as  fifteen 
or  twenty  dollars.  Silks  and  cottons  are  extremely 
dear.  The  only  thing  cheap  and  tolerably  good  is 
the  claret,  which  comes  direct  from  France  duty  free ; 
and  the  vessel  that  bringrs  the  claret  carries  back  as 
ballast  the  essential  logwood. 

Nothing  can  be  said  against  the  costumes  of  the 
ladies,  which  are  really  elegant  and  in  good  taste. 
As  in  these  islands  there  are  no  teachers  of  the  terpsi- 
chorean  art,  so  there  are  no  dressmakers  —  or,  if 
any,  very  few  —  and  the  ladies  cut  and  make  their 
own  garments.  In  this  they  take  especial  pride,  and 
their  toilettes,  as  seen  on  a  Sunday  at  ten-o'clock 
mass,  do  credit  to  their  hands  and  heads.  There  is 
nothing  that  attracts  a  stranger's  attention  so  quickly 
as  the  costumes  of  the  hucksters,  the  denii  monde,  and 
the  market-women  :  a  single  flowing  robe  of  bright- 
colored  calico,  or  white  muslin,  sometimes  of  silk, 
loose  at  the  throat,  and  with  a  waistband  high  up 
under  the  shoulder-blades.  It  is  that  of  the  past 
century.     These  women  are  mulattresses,  quadroons, 


286 


CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 


or  octoroons ;  among  them  are  many  pleasant  faces 
with  regular  features,  and  some  are  even  handsome. 
The  colored  Creole  of  French  extraction  is  notably 
handsomer  than  those  of  Scotch  or  English,  and  more 
graceful  and  pleasing.  The  washerwomen  and  do- 
mestics sometimes  wear  their  dress  with  one  shoulder 

and  arm  exposed,  and 
to  such  an  extent  was 
this  carried  but  two 
years  ago  that  a  law 
was  passed  regulat- 
ing the  extent  of  ex- 
posure. 

Passionately  fond 
of  jewelry,  these 
ladies  of  the  street 
carry  their  ornamen- 
tation to  an  exagger- 
ated length.  It  is 
not  uncommon  to 
meet  one  of  them 
with  great  coils  of 
beads  around  the 
neck,  with  immense 
earrings,  brooches  at 
the  throat,  lockets  and  medallions  suspended  from 
massive  chains,  and  the  turban  completely  covered 
with  pins  and  brooches,  and  the  fingers  with  rings. 
The  earrings  of  this  class  deserve  especial  mention, 
as  they  exceed  in  size  anything  worn  elsewhere  in 
the  West  Indies.  The  most  gorgeous  and  most 
coveted  are  those  composed  of  five  gold  cylinders, 
each    as   large    as   a    lady's   little  finger,    bound   to- 


SOME    SUMMER    DAYS    IN    MARTINIQUE. 


287 


gether,  and  suspended  from  the  lobe  of  the  ear  by  a 
large  ring.  All  this  jewelry  is  of  pure  gold,  though 
thin  and  fragile,  as  not  a  woman  among  them  but 
would  scorn  to  be  seen  with  an  article  of  baser  metal ; 
and  not  a  dealer  in  the  colony  can  sell  a  spurious 
piece.  The  wise  French  law  that  provides  that  every 
thing  sold  for  genuine  shall  be  of  eighteen  carat 
gold,  and  stamped  with  the  eagle,  is  here  enforced, 
even  to  the  confiscation  of  the  stock  of  a  dishonest 
dealer.  One  of  these  females  was  pointed  out  to  me 
as  having  more  than  five  hundred  dollars'  worth  of 
this  character  of  jewels.  Nothing  exercises  their  taste 
and  patience  more  than  the  shape  and  fit  of  their 
turbans  or  head-dresses.  These  are  made  from  a 
sinsfle  brifjht-colored 
or  black  handker- 
chief, dexterously 
twisted  into  shape : 
and  in  this  there  are 
as  many  styles  as  the 
fancy  of  the  wearer 
can  invent. 

Contented  and 
happy  are  these  peo- 
ple, laughing  and 
singing  and  smoking 
all  the  day  long. 
Even  the  old  woman 
who  comes  into  mar- 
ket from  the  moun- 
tains, bearing  upon 
her  head  the  vegeta- 
bles and  fruits  of  her  JAarjuet   y^oMAN. 


....^^^^^^SP^ 

^^L 

m 

MjM 

_   ^L               ^^^^^^^pl^^^^S 

n 

^^=—  ^sK--j^^t^^^"di'-^=^^ 

-  -  ^^K^^^^S^f 

^ BLMilii'lUri  ^ 

288  CAMPS    IN   THE   CARIBBEES. 

garden,  carries  herself  with  an  air  that  betokens  in- 
dependence, and  would  sooner  lose  your  patronage 
than  dispense  with  her  pipe. 

Through  the  Grande  Ruc^  past  the  Gendarmerie^ 
up  a  narrow  street  to  the  rear  of  the  theatre,  I  followed 
a  little  gamin,  one  cool  morning,  to  seek  birds  in  the 
Jardin  dcs  Plantcs.  A  shower  dropped  suddenly  now 
and  then,  but  the  summit  of  the  volcano  stood  out  cool 
and  purple  against  a  sky  of  untroubled  blue.  Gain- 
ing a  level  road  at  the  base  of  high  cliffs,  I  walked 
beneath  almond  and  tamarind  trees,  looking  down 
upon  the  savanc,  or  level  field,  beneath,  where  are 
held  the  reviews  and  occasional  shows  that  visit  this 
island,  and  across  to  the  lower  town,  where  a  white 
dome  thrust  itself  up  from  a  sea  of  cocoa  palms.  The 
huge  cone  swept  from  cloud  to  foaming  river  —  the 
Riviere  Roxelane,  which  divides  the  town,  and  from 
which,  even  thus  early,  came  the  sound  of  blows, 
telling  the  listening  ear  that  inoffensive  linen  was 
being  maltreated  by  vengeful  females.  A  broad 
stretch  of  cane-field  climbed  well  up  the  mountain, 
meeting  the  forest,  which  sent  out  detachments  of 
trees  to  greet  the  cane,  then  spread  out  all  over  the 
peak,  vast  and  dark.  Houses  looked  out  from  gar- 
dens of  fruit-trees;  everywhere  was  cultivation  and 
growth. 

Descending  slightly,  I  passed  a  little  shrine  to  the 
Virgin,  built  right  beneath  the  vine-hung  precipice, 
which  sent  down  a  wealth  of  trailing,  clinging  plants 
to  cover  it.  Leaning  above  it,  as  in  benediction,  is 
the  famous  and  beautiful  Arbre  du  Voyageur,  which, 
if  pierced,  will  give  forth  a  stream  of  pure  water. 
Its   long   leaves,   fan-like  in  their  arrangement,   de- 


SOME    SUMMER    DAYS    IN    MARTINIQUE. 


289 


The    y/'AYSIDE    ^HRINE. 

scribe  a  semicircle  above  its  stem.  Inside  the  shrine 
is  the  sorrowful  mother,  carved  of  wood,  and  having 
her  heart,  pierced  with  arrows,  on  the  outside  of  her 
robe,  showing  that  sculptors,  like  poets,  have  a  license 
to  do  not  as  other  mortals.  "Mater  Dolorosa, 
Ora  pro  Nobis."  Good  Catholics  are  they  who  pass 
this  shrine,  for,  one  and  all,  they  cross  themselves 
devoutly. 

At  the  entrance  to  the  garden  is  a  keeper's  lodge, 
of  stone.  A  foaming  stream  rushes  under  a  wooden 
bridge,  across  which  is  a  smaller  garden,  in  which 

19 


290  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

are  roses  and  choice  plants,  and  a  small  museum  con- 
taining a  good  collection  of  birds,  pictures  of  native 
types,  and  insects  and  reptiles  of  the  island,  which 
figured  in  the  Exposition  of  1867. 

Near  the  main  walk  a  grotto,  in  a  bank  covered 
with  vines,  overhung  by  a  palm,  spouts  out  a  glisten- 
ing shower.  This  broad  path  runs  by  the  side  of  a 
stream,  under  tamarinds  and  screw-pines,  ascending 
between  a  double  row  of  tall  palmistes.  This,  my 
guide  tells  me,  was  the  old  dueling-ground  of  the 
Creoles,  and  the  many  holes  with  which  the  gray 
pillars  are  perforated  were  caused  by  bullets ;  the 
names  carved  there,  in  memory  of  those  who  fell. 
This  may  well  be  credited  when  I  can  state  upon  my 
own  evidence  that  there  were  three  duels  on  the  tapis 
when  I  left  the  island.  Though  many  of  the  affairs 
of  honor  are  merely  farcical,  and  the  empty  air  gets 
the  pistol-shot  and  sword-thrust,  there  are  some  in 
which  the  participators  are  in  dead  earnest,  and  blood 
is  often  shed. 

Above  the  palms  is  a  cascade  sixty  feet  in  height, 
which  flows  from  a  deep  cut  in  solid  rock,  in  a  single 
sheet,  into  a  broad  basin  below.  From  the  cascade 
another  path,  broad  and  shaded,  leads  to  a  gar- 
den of  acclimatization  and  a  nursery,  where  are  all 
kinds  of  tropical  plants  —  groups  of  palmistes,  tree- 
ferns,  fan-palms,  broken-leaved  African  palms,  and 
forms  of  plants  strange  even  to  these  tropic  isles. 
Near  the  basin  of  a  fountain,  containing  the  Egyptian 
papyrus,  are  the  tallest  sago-palms  ever  seen  out  of 
their  native  isles  of  the  Indian  Archipelago,  for  they 
are  twenty  feet  in  height,  have  stout  trunks  and  dense 
crowns.      Candelabra    cacti,    night-blooming   cereus, 


SOME    SUMMER    DAYS    IN    MARTINIQyE.  29I 

roses,  honeysuckles,  and  a  hundred  other  plants,  may 
here  be  found. 

The  gem  of  the  garden  is  the  lake  in  its  center, 
surrounded  by  great  trees  ;  tall  palms  pierce  the 
leaves  above  it;  a  broken  stream,  tumbling  down 
from  the  hill,  half  screening  some  fern-covered  grotto 
as  it  falls,  plunges  into  it.  It  is  a  small  pond,  but 
contains  vegetable  wonders  on  its  three  small  islets 
that  at  home  would  be  priceless.  One  island  is  com- 
pletely covered  with  a  mound  of  vines  wound  about 
a  screw-pine  and  frangipanni  —  a  tangled  mass  of 
jessamine  and  wild  vines  of  the  tropics,  spangled  with 
white,  red,  and  yellow  flowers.  Another,  a  mere 
foothold  for  the  tree,  contains  a  "traveler's  tree,"  its 
macjnificent  leaves  reflected  in  the  lake.  The  other 
islet  contains  more  rare  plants,  wild  plantains  with 
golden  cups,  ferns  and  flowers,  and  is  further  graced 
by  two  very  slender  areca-palms,  exquisitely  grace- 
ful, shooting  upward  with  stems  not  larger  than  one's 
wrist,  and  forty  feet  in  height.  Their  delicate  leaves 
droop  above  dense  clusters  of  nuts  —  the  famous  nuts 
with  which  the  betel  is  mixed  and  chewed  by  the 
natives  of  the  East. 

The  low  bushes  are  covered  with  land-snails,  and 
lizards  dart  out  from  every  crevice,  from  under  every 
rock  and  dead  limb,  and  run  up  the  trunks  of  trees 
by  scores  —  lizards  of  all  sorts,  sizes,  and  colors  ;  and 
they  are  sluggish,  too,  and  it  is  easy  to  catch  them. 
But  in  searching  for  snails,  I  encountered  an  insect 
not  very  agreeable,  whose  bite  is  certain  fever,  some- 
times death.  Horribly  gay  is  this  spider,  the  Taran- 
tula, in  the  long  hair  that  covers  body  and  legs,  which 
serves  well  to  conceal  it  while  waiting  for  its  prey, 


292  CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 

in  a  dark  crevice  or  under  a  drooping  leaf.  They 
like  to  conceal  themselves  beneath  the  leaves  of  such 
plants  as  the  aloes,  where  one  broad  leaf  underlaps 
the  other,  and  where  they  can  rest  almost  unseen.  You 
see  it  also  on  the  walks,  its  hairy  legs  outstretched, 
its  ugly  body  flat  to  the  earth,  resembling  a  bunch  of 
catkins  from  the  trumpet-tree,  which  everywhere  lie 
scattered  about.  Poke  it  with  a  stick,  and,  instead 
of  trying  to  escape,  it  will  climb  up  that  stick  so  vig- 
orously toward  your  hand,  that,  ten  to  one,  you  will 
drop  it  and  run.  Turn  it  over,  and  it  discloses  a  pair 
of  sharp,  beak-like  jaws,  red  within,  which,  with  its 
gleaming  eyes,  have  a  cruel  appearance.  With  its 
legs  spread,  this  spider  will  sometimes  cover  the  area 
of  a  saucer.    • 

Centipedes  and  scorpions,  also,  abound  here.  In- 
deed, it  seems  that  nature  has  bestowed  upon  this 
island  of  Martinique  all  the  pests  and  scourges 
known  to  these  islands ;  for  only  here  and  in  the 
adjacent  island  of  St.  Lucia  is  found  that  most  ven- 
omous and  vengeful  of  all  serpents,  the  Lance-head 
snake — Craspcdoccphalus  lanceolatus.  The  isolation 
of  this  snake  in  these  two  islands,  when  its  nearest 
habitat  is  Guiana,  is  one  of  the  most  vexing  stumbling- 
blocks  to  one  studying  the  distribution  of  animals. 
How  came  it  here?  Was  it  introduced,  or  is  it  in- 
digenous? Was  it  wafted  here  upon  some  floating 
tree,  or  was  its  home  here  from  the  beginning?  The 
correct  solution  of  this  problem  would,  doubtless,  throw 
some  light  upon  that  more  important  and  gigantic  one, 
Were  these  islands  once  a  part  of  the  continents?  Cer- 
tain it  is,  the  adjacent  islands  of  Dominica  and  St. 
Vincent,  separated  from  these  by  channels  less  than 


SOME    SUMMER   DAYS    IN   MARTINIQUE.  293 

thirty  miles  in  widtii,  are  free  from  this  scourge.  Nay, 
more ;  it  is  recorded  that,  during  the  wars  between 
the  English  and  Caribs,  in  the  last  century,  the  Lance- 
head  was  carried  to  the  islands  just  named,  but  could 
not  be  made  to  live. 

Annually,  during  the  crop  season,  many  laborers 
are  killed  in  each  island,  for  this  snake  has  its  hidinor- 
places  in  the  canes  as  well  as  in  the  forests.  It  has 
been  so  abundant  in  this  garden  that  the  pleasant 
walks  and  shady  drives  are  nearly  always  deserted. 
A  serpent  over  seven  feet  in  length,  killed  in  the  gar- 
den, is  shown  in  the  Museum.  There  is,  it  is  said, 
no  antidote  for  its  bite  ;  though  the  ever-traditional 
old  negro,  living  in  some  secluded  spot,  with  herbs 
and  antidotes,  likewise  exists  here.  He  is  never  found 
when  needed,  however.  The  poison  is  quickly  fatal, 
and  decomposition  rapidly  follows.  A  gentleman, 
whose  father  was  once  a  wealthy  planter  in  St.  Lucia, 
and  had  many  slaves,  told  me  that  an  antidote  that 
generally  proved  efficacious  if  used  immediately,  was 
forty  grains  of  quinine  in  the  juice  of  two  lemons ;  in 
extreme  cases  he  administered  a  glass  of  olive  oil  and 
rum,  and  used  the  vapor  bath.  The  remedy  used  in 
the  South,  when  bitten  by  the  rattlesnake  —  whiskey, 
all  that  the  patient  can  drink  —  seems  useless  here. 
The  dread  of  this  serpent  is  universal.  It  seems  to 
possess  a  hatred  for  man  ;  and  it  is  seriously  avowed 
by  the  natives  that  it  will  lie  in  wait  for  an  oppor- 
tunity to  inflict  death.  The  country  people  live  in 
continual  trepidation,  and  very  few  of  them  will  ven- 
ture from  their  houses  after  dark,  even  in  the  suburbs 
of  the  city. 

Martinique  is   the  largest  of  the  Lesser  Antilles, 


294  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

being  about  fifty  miles  in  length,  and  containing,  it 
is  estimated,  about  three  hundred  and  eighty  square 
miles.  The  surface  is  veFy  uneven,  the  interior  being 
one  grand  region  of  hills  and  mountains.  The  high- 
est of  these  is  Mount  Pelee,  over  four  thousand  feet 
in  height,  north-west  of  the  principal  town,  St.  Pierre. 
Though  a  volcano  which  has  emitted  smoke  and 
ashes  within  tliirty  years,  there  are  now  no  signs  of 
an  eruption.  Late  in  July  I  was  hunting  in  these 
mountains,  making  my  headquarters  at  Morne  Rouge, 
a  little  village  occupying  a  central  plateau  near  the 
volcano.  From  there  I  made  excursions  to  Morne 
Calebasse,  Morne  Balisier,  Mount  Pelde,  and  Champ 
Flore.  There  are  many  mineral  springs  in  the  moun- 
tains, two  of  which  —  one  reached  from  St.  Pierre, 
and  the  other  from  Fort  de  France  —  are  famous  re- 
sorts for  the  inhabitants. 

Morne  Rouge  is  a  holy  city ;  to  it  every  year  the 
people  of  the  coast,  high  and  low,  make  pilgrim- 
ages on  foot.  The  church  here  is  beautifully  deco- 
rated, the  interior  containing  valuable  paintings  and 
frescoings.  The  Virgin  is  magnificently  arrayed  and 
enriched  by  the  spoils  of  the  faithful  and  credulous. 
All  about  are  shrines  and  crosses  and  sacred  mounts 
of  Calvary ;  and  near  the  town  is  a  most  charm- 
ing grotto,  containing  an  image  of  the  Virgin,  over- 
hung by  tree-ferns,  hollowed  from  a  rock  dripping 
with  water,  with  a  clear  pool  and  fountain  at  its 
base. 

Sunday  is  a  fate  day,  and  the  busiest  of  the  week. 
Then  the  young  ladies  from  the  convent  and  the 
brothers  from  the  monastery  attend  church  in  a  body. 
Every  one  is  dressed  in  the  best  he  can  afford.    A  ven- 


SOME    SUMMER    DAYS    IN    MARTINIQL^E. 


=95 


der  of  cakes  pitches  a 
small  bench  beneath 
the  shade  of  a  ve- 
randa and  offers  an 
assortment  not  pro- 
curable on  week- 
days. She  drives  a 
good  trade  in  the 
morning,  as  the  peo- 
ple return  from  early 
mass  ;  but  as  the  sun 
gets  around  in  the 
afternoon  she  leaves 
bench  and  cakes  to 
themselves,  covers 
them  with  a  ragged 
blanket  that  has  seen 
unwashed  service  for 

years,  and  contentedly  sucking  a  cigar,  snoozes 
quietly  in  the  shade.  She  has  on  a  white  chemise, 
a  man's  hat  of  straw,  a  black  skirt,  and  a  white  hand- 
kerchief bound  about  her  forehead.  At  three  in  the 
afternoon,  all  go  to  church.  The  universal  dress  is 
black  coat  and  white  pants.  Here  are  a  few  costumes 
of  the  blacks  :  Black  turban,  black  dress,  cut  with 
waist  high  up  under  the  arms,  and  black  shoes  ;  an- 
other in  bright  colors  and  green  shoes;  again  another, 
sans  shoes;  one  with  a  parasol;  a  diminutive  darky 
stalking  gravely  along  with  a  dus/i  for  parasol  and 
feet  thrust  into  yawning  shoes.  All  wear  high  heels 
when  dressed.  Men  and  women  pass  and  repass  with 
huge  bundles  nicely  balanced  upon  their  heads. 

When  it  was  known  that  I  intended  shooting  over 


296  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

the  fields  and  through  the  forests  about  Morne  Rouge, 
all  my  acquaintances  of  a  day  gathered  about  me, 
frantically  expostulating,  and  I  with  difficulty  secured 
a  boy  to  pilot  me.  To  satisfy  these  good  people,  to 
some  extent,  I  drew  on  a  pair  of  boots  of  alligator 
skin,  old  and  grievously  rent,  which  had  accompanied 
me  through  flood  and  forest  for  full  five  years.  Seven 
years  had  passed  since  these  boots  were  sporting  in 
saurian  shape  in  the  warm  waters  of  the  "  Land  of 
Flowers."  The  skin  composing  them  I  had  wrenched 
from  the  lifeless  bodies  of  two  alligators  measuring 
respectively  nine  and  ten  feet.  They  had  shown 
gallant  fight,  and  it  was  to  perpetuate  their  achieve- 
ments, and  to  protect  ray  feet,  that  I  had  caused  their 
skins  to  be  tanned  and  made  into  boots.  Impervious 
were  they  once,  and  gallant  service  had  they  per- 
formed ;  for  they  were  fashioned  and  constructed  by 
no  less  a  cordwainer  than  Shadrach  Fisk,  a  worthy 
knight  of  St.  Crispin,  Shadrach,  and  as  honest  a  man 
as  ever  trod  or  manipulated  shoe-leather. 

Much  courage  did  these  boots  infuse  into  my  heart, 
and  I  strode  forth  valiantly,  trusting  that  any  well-dis- 
posed snake  would  be  magnanimous  enough  to  strike 
at  the  hide  and  not  at  the  holes.  Not  Roderick  Dhu, 
with  targe  of  "  tough  bull-hide,"  felt  better  protected 
than  I  felt  then.  Let  the  short  sequel  show  how  vain 
are  man's  pretences.  We  marched  out  into  the  fields, 
my  little  pilot  trembling  with  fear,  and  so  craven  that 
he  dared  not  retrieve  my  birds.  We  came  to  an  im- 
mense tree,  a  silk-cotton,  which  covered  a  broad  area 
with  its  shadow.  In  this  tree  was  a  little  shrine,  rudely 
made,  and  a  plaster  figure  of  the  immaculate  mother; 
at  her  feet  a  candle  burning,  and  humble  offerings.    It 


SOME    SUMMER    DAYS    IN    MARTINIQUE.  297 

was  the  tribute  of  some  poor  laborer,  this  shrine. 
It  has  often  been  forced  upon  my  notice,  this  rev- 
erence of  the  ignorant  for  a  giant  tree.  Here  they 
will  bring  their  offerings,  and  prefer  these  leafy 
temples  to  the  more  pretentious 'cathedrals. 

Steps  were  cut  out  from  the  great  roots  up  to  the 
shrine,  and  I  walked  up  to  examine  it.  A  shriek  from 
my  attendant  halted  me,  and  I  saw  him  upon  his 
knees,  imploring  me  not  to  venture  farther.  Thinking 
it  was  a  foolish  superstition  regarding  the  approach  of 
an  armed  man  to  a  place  of  veneration,  I  was  about 
assuring  my  boy  that  his  fears  were  groundless,  when 
a  movement  above  me  drew  my  attention. 

Coiled  along  a  branch,  with  half  the  body  hanging 
and  the  head  drawn  back  awaiting  my  approach,  was 
the  dreaded  serpent,  venomous  glances,  that  hardly 
lacked  the  power  to  slay,  darting  from  its  fiery  eyes. 
Another  step  and  I  should  have  received  the  blow  ; 
and  that  it  would  have  been  a  fatal  one  I  have  little 
doubt.  Shot  after  shot  rang  out  until  the  loathsome 
reptile  fell ;  but  even  when  he  lay  stretched  upon  the 
ground  did  I  not  dare  to  tread  upon  him,  so  completely 
had  I  lost  faith  in  the  protecdon  of  alligator  boots.  I 
recalled  the  facetious  advice  of  our  consul,  given  as 
I  was  preparing  for  my  excursion  to  the  mountains, 
that  my  only  safety  lay  in  encasing  myself  securely 
in  iron  armor.  As  a  substitute  for  this,  he  advised 
me  to  procure  a  barrel,  cut  holes  for  my  head 
and  arms,  and  thrust  my  legs  through  sections  of 
stove-pipe. 


298  CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

THE   BIRTH-PLACE  OF  THE  EMPRESS  JOSEPHINE. 

FORT  DE  FRANCE.  —  THE  PARK.  —  TAMARINDS  AND  MANGOS. — 
STATUE  OF  JOSEPHINE. — THE  TROIS  PITONS. —  HISTORIC  HILLS. 
—  CORONATION.  —  INSCRIPTION.  —  AN  EARTHQUAKE.  —  TER- 
ROR. —  PARENTS  OF  JOSEPHINE.  —  HER  GRANDMOTHER.  — 
ALEXANDER  DE  BEAUHARNALS.  —  A  VALUABLE  DOCUMENT. — 
MARRIAGE  REGISTER  OF  JOSEPHINE'S  PARENTS.  —  BUNGLING 
BIOGRAPHERS.  —  MUSTV  MEMOIRS. —  FORT  ROYAL  BAY.  —  THE 
PASSAGE-BOAT  "JOH.N." — TROIS  ILETS. — THE  BOULANGER. — 
A  FESTIVE  FATHER.  —  A  DINNER  IN  JEOPARDY.  —  A  LOW 
COUCH. — A  HIGH  BILL.  —  CHURCH  IN  WHICH  JOSEPHINE  WAS 
BAPTIZED.  —  A  TABLET  TO  HER  MOTHER'S  MEMORY.  —  LA 
PAGERIE,  BIRTH-PLACE  OF  JOSEPHINE.  —  THE  HURRICANE. — 
THE  ROOF  THAT  SHELTERED  AN  EMPRESS.  —  GROUND  HER 
FEET  HAD  PRESSED.  —  YOUTH  OF  JOSEPHINE.  —  ANOTHER 
SHOCK.  —  THE  NEGRO  BARRACKS.  —  THE  EMPRESS'  BATH. — 
ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  AGO  !  — THE  SIBYL.  —  THE  HUMMING- 
BIRD.—  IN  PERIL  FROM  A  SERPENT.  —  A  PEACEFUL  SCENE. — 
A  RUDE  AWAKENING.  —  THE  RIVER  COMES  DOWN. — EARTH- 
QUAKE  AGAIN.  —  RAGS   AND   MELANCHOLY. 

A  LITTLE  Steamer  runs  between  St.  Pierre  and 
Fort  de  France,  the  seat  of  government  of  the 
island,  coasting  the  shore,  past  a  most  interesting 
landscape  twenty  miles,  the  banks  high  and  precipi- 
tous, exhibiting  many  different  strata,  and  affording  to 
a  geologist  a  glimpse  of  the  manner  in  which  the 
island  was  formed.  Huge  rounded  hills  come  down 
to  the  sea,  where  they  are  abruptly  cut  down,  looking 


HOME    OF    THE    EMPRESS   JOSEPHINE.  299 

like  the  halves  of  Dutch  cheeses,  the  slices  smooth 
and  straiiiht.  The  summer  rains  had  caused  an  ac- 
cumulation  of  water  in  the  hills  above,  and  I  counted 
eight  streams  pouring  over  the  precipices,  all  of 
which  a  few  days  later  would  have  disappeared. 
Half-way  down,  the  surface  slopes  farther  back  from 
the  shore,  though  there  is  but  little  cultivation  until 
the  bay  of  Fort  Royal  is  reached.  A  large  stone 
fortress,  a  large  usinc,  or  sugar  refinery,  an  open 
park,  a  few  government  buildings,  and  a  river,  are  all 
that  particularly  claim  attention. 

Fort  de  France  was  originally  known  as  Fort 
Royal,  but  this  was  before  the  days  of  republican 
rule.  It  is  situated  between  two  rivers,  the  Riviere 
Madame  and  the  Riviere  Monsieur ;  the  former,  on 
the  north,  is  very  beautiful  during  its  short  length, 
especially  near  its  embouchure  ;  palms  reflect  them- 
selves in  the  still  water,  and  a  church,  on  the  bank, 
sees  its  image  on  the  glassy  surface.  The  hills,  such 
as  hem  in  St.  Pierre,  here  recede  a  greater  distance 
from  the  shore,  and  the  town  occupies  a  low  and  level 
plain,  with  wide  streets  crossing  at  right  angles,  lined 
with  well-built  wooden  houses.  There  are  few  trees 
save  in  the  park,  which  lies  near  the  shore  between 
fortress  and  town.  Here  there  are  long  and  thickly- 
planted  rows  of  tamarinds  and  mangos  overshading 
the  broad  level  walks.  Enclosed  by  this  double  row 
of  trees  is  a  large  savane,  or  common,  covered  with  a 
luxuriant  carpet  of  grass,  in  the  center  of  which  stands 
the  statue  of  her  of  whom  I  came  to  learn. 

Majestic  in  poise,  graceful  in  outline,  carved  of 
marble  spotless  as  her  own  pure  soul,  Josephine 
stands  calmly  aloft,  surrounded  by  a  circle  of  mag- 


300  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

nificent  palms ;  the  orcodoxas,  glories  of  the  moun- 
tains, add  their  glorious  crowns  to  that  which  adorns 
the  head  of  the  empress.  For  hours  I  have  gazed 
upon  that  beautiful  creation,  as,  seated  beneath  the 
spreading  tamarinds,  I  have  striven  to  impress  upon 
my  memory  an  ineffaceable  image  of  its  loveliness. 
There  is  one  view  that  is  inexpressibly  beautiful,  with 
the  snow-white  statue  sharply  outlined  against  a  dis- 
tant group  of  mountain-peaks,  the  Trots  Pitons,  which 
are  sometimes  deep  blue,  again  light  green,  or  par- 
tially obscured  by  drifting  clouds.  Against  this  back- 
ground Josephine  stands  out  white  as  an  angel.  An- 
other view,  at  a  little  distance,  gives  a  background  of 
tamarinds ;  another  that  of  the  purple-green  mango. 
From  any  position  it  appears  a  perfect  composition ; 
an  inimitable  grace  pervades  the  sweep  of  the  royal 
robes,  and  the  whole  suggests  a  master's  hand. 

The  statue  fronts  the  sea,  but  the  face  is  turned  a 
few  points  south,  so  that  it  looks  toward  a  line  of  hills, 
five  miles  away,  nestled  among  which  is  the  valley  in 
which  Josephine  was  born.  The  sentiment  conveyed 
in  the  look  of  wistful  yearning  in  that  sweet  face, 
turned  longingly  to  the  scenes  of  her  childhood,  is  as 
beautiful  as  truthful.  In  front  is  the  Caribbean  Sea ; 
the  great  fort  hides  the  hills  from  the  view  of  one 
standing  by  the  statue,  but  a  few  steps  to  the  eastward 
brings  them  insight. 

Upon  a  medallion  of  Napoleon,  Josephine  rests  her 
left  hand.  On  the  pedestal,  a  bas-relief  in  bronze 
represents  the  famous  coronation  scene,  recalling  that 
extraordinary  pageant,  when  Bonaparte  surpassed  all 
preceding  coronations  in  the  magnificence  of  this, 
summoning  the  venerable  Pius  VII.  from  the  Vatican 


HOME    OF    THE    EMPRESS   JOSEPHINE.  3OI 

to  assist  in  his  assumption  of  royalty  :  In  the  center, 
the  Pope ;  Napoleon,  in  the  act  of  placing  the  crown 
upon  the  head  of  Josephine,  who  kneels  before  him. 
The  inscriptions  upon  the  dies  are  as  follows  : 

North:  " Z'««  1868.  Napoleon  III  Regnant, 
Lcs  Habitants  dc  la  Martinique  ont  eleve  ce  juonu- 
mcnt  a  L'/tuperatrice  Josephine.  Nee  dans  cetie 
Colonic." 

East:  ''NSe  Le  XXIII  Juin,  MDCCLXIIi:' 
(Crown,  shield,  and  eagle  of  France.) 

South  :  The  bas-relief,  —  Coronation  scene. 

West:  ''Mari6  Le  IX  Mars,  MDCCXCVI,'' 
(Draped  shield,  eagle,   and  crown.) 

The  statue  is  enclosed  by  a  neat  iron  fence,  and 
is  further  surrounded  by  a  ring  of  palms,  planted,  I 
believe,  at  the  time  it  was  erected.  In  the  distance, 
on  a  hill,  is  an  old  fort  and  a  little  chapel,  where  the 
Virgin  Mother  extends  her  hands  in  benediction,  and 
where  a  candle  burns,  bright  by  night  and  dim  by 
day. 

As  amateur  photographer  I  sought  a  resident  artist, 
Monsieur  Fabre,  who  received  and  aided  me  cheer- 
fully, especially  when  he  learned  that  I  bore  a  letter 
from  our  good  friend  Hartmann,  of  St.  Pierre.  In  his 
capacious  court-yard  I  was  soon  busily  at  work  pre- 
paring my  chemicals,  wrapped  in  a  vapor  of  collodion. 
I  was  suddenly  awakened  by  a  strange  shock,  as 
though  some  one  had  shaken  me  strongly  and  was 
about  standing  me  upon  my  head.  At  that  instant, 
in  rushed  my  friend,  the  photographer,  with  loud 
cries:  ^^  Ah,  mon  Dieu  I  Tremblenient  de  ierre ! 
Tr  emblement  deterre!'^  "Earthquake!  Earthquake!" 


302 


CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 


The  ground  shook,  walls  cracked,  and,  in  common 
with  evLM y  one  else,  I  rushed  into  the  street.  There 
was  the  entire  populace  crowded  together  in  terror, 
most  of  them  wildly  shrieking  and  gesticulating.  The 
shocks  lasted  but  a  few  minutes,  and  then  all  went 
calmly  back  to  their  houses.  After  this  the  sky  was 
as  serene  and  blue,  and  the  trees  as  quiet,  as  before, 


P 


IRTHPLACE      OF       JOSEPHINE 


and  I  finished  my  photographs  of  beautiful  Josephine, 
who  had  been  an  unmoved  spectator  of  it  all,  without 
interruption. 

The  town  of  Fort  de  France  is  intimately  connected 
with  scenes  in  the  early  life  of  Josephine,  and  of  her 
parents.     In   1755,  Joseph  Gaspard  de   La  Pagerie, 


HOME    OF   THE    EMPRESS  JOSEPHINE.  303 

father  of  Josephine,  returned  to  Martinique  from 
France,  whither  he  had  been  sent  to  school.  That 
year  war  was  declared  between  England  and  France, 
and  the  young  officer,  first  lieutenant  of  artillery,  was 
actively  engaged  in  erecting  batteries  at  Fort  de 
France,  then,  as  now,  the  naval  port  of  the  island. 
He  aided  in  the  repulse  of  the  English  under  General 
Moore  in  1759,  and  took  such  active  part  in  the  second 
defence,  in  1762,  when  the  town  w^as  captured,  that 
he  was  complimented  by  the  general  commanding  the 
Entrlish  forces  and  allowed  to  retire  to  his  estate  at 
Trois-Ilets. 

In  June,  1760,  there  was  baptized  in  the  church  of 
Saint  Louis,  at  Fort  Royal,  an  infant,  born  the  pre- 
ceding May,  and  named  Alexandre  de  Beau- 
HARNAis,  who  was  destined  to  be  the  husband  of 
Josephine.  An  aunt  of  Josephine  was  godmother  to 
this  child.  The  Marquis  de  Beauharnais,  father  to 
Alexander,  had  been  appointed  governor  of  Marti- 
nique and  the  French  colonies  three  years  previously, 
with  authority  over  all  the  respective  governors  of  the 
other  islands.  Leaving  Martinique  for  France  in  the 
following  year,  the  Marquis  left  his  infant  son  in 
charge  of  Madame  de  La  Pagerie,  grandmother  to 
Josephine.  This  lad}''  resided  principally  in  Fort  de 
France,  and  when  Josephine  attended  school  at  the 
near  convent,  she  was  a  frequent  visitor  at  the  house 
of  her  grandmother,  if  indeed  she  did  not  reside 
with  her. 

But  the  most  interesting  event  in  the  history  of  the 
island  w^as  the  marriage  of  the  parents  of  Josephine, 
the  register  of  which  I  found  among  the  musty 
archives  of  the  island,  in  Fort  de  France.    The  docu- 


304  CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 

ment  is  long,  and  though  I  have  a  fac-simile  copy  of 
that  page  in  the  ancient  register  containing  it,  I  will 
give  but  the  substance  here.  It  states  that ''  Messire 
yoscph  Gaspard  de  Tascher,  chevalier^  seigneur  de 
La  Pagcric,  native  of  the  parish  of  St.  Jacque  du 
Carhct^ — of  said  island  of  Martinique,  lieutenant  in 
the  artillery,  son  in  legitimate  marriage  of  Messire 
yoscpk-Gaspard  de  Tasckcr,  chevalier y  seigneur  de 
La  Pagerie^  and  of  Madame  Marie-Fran^oise  Bou- 
reau  de  La  Chcvalerie,  living  in  the  town  of  Port 
Royal,"  was  married  to" demoiselle  Rose- Claire  des 
Vergers  de  Sanjwis,  native  of  the  parish  of  Trois-Ilets, 
daughter  in  legitimate  marriage  of  Messire  yoseph 
des  Verzcrs  de  Sannois  and  of  dame  Marie-Catherine 
Brown ^  natives  of  and  dwellers  in  the  parish  of 
Trois-Ilets,"  etc. 

Thus  we  have  in  this  register  of  marriage,  dated 
November  the  ninth,  1761,  the  names  and  rank  of 
the  parents  and  grandparents  of  Josephine,  and,  what 
is  of  equal  importance,  their  place  of  residence  at  that 
time,  only  eighteen  months  previous  to  her  birth. 

Let  us  turn  for  a  moment  to  her  biographers.  One 
or  two  will  suffice  to  show  how  inaccurate  are  their 
statements.  Thus,  in  "  Memoirs  of  the  Empress  Jose- 
phine," by  John  S.  Memes,  LL.D.,  I  find  that  the 
parents  of  the  Empress  were  —  "  both  natives  of 
France,  though  married  in  St.  Bomingo,  about 
1761."  .  .  .  "Of  this  parentage,  the  only  child, 
the  subject  of  these  Memoirs,  was  born  in  St.  Pierre, 
the  capital  of  Martinico,  on  the  23d  of  June,  1763." 

A  French  dictionary  of  biography  also  repeats  that 
Josephine  was  born  in  St.  Pierre ;  but  this  is  refuted 
by  the  register  of  baptism  at  Trois-Ilets,  which  the 


HOME    OF   THE    EMPRESS  JOSEPHINE.  305 

author  of  the  "  Hisioire  dc  V Imf6ratricc  'Josejt>hinc" 
M.  Aubenas,  (to  whose  volume  I  am  indebted  for  the 
facts  relating  to  the  early  life  of  Josephine,)  quotes 
entire. 

A  deep  bay  nearly  divides  the  island  of  Martinique 
near  the  southern  end.  On  its  northern  side,  Fort 
de  France  ;  at  its  bight.  La  Montague  and  Riviere 
Salee ;  and  directly  south  of  Fort  de  France  is  the 
little  town  {petit  bourg^  it  is  called)  of  Trois-Ilets  — 
the  Three  Islets  —  hidden  from  sight  by  a  high  cape. 
I  was  going  to  hire  a  boat  and  three  men  to  carry 
me  across  the  bay  ;  but  just  as  we  were  ready  to  go, 
early  one  morning,  the  rain  came  down  in  sheets, 
and  we  were  obliged  to  wait.  I  then  learned  that 
a  boat  plied  regularly  between  the  town  and  the 
petit  hou7'g,  and  that  it  was  but  a  mile  and  a  half  to 
^'^  IS  habitation  de  La  PagericT  Its  usual  hour  of 
starting  was  at  four,  but  the  rain  delayed  it  until  five 
in  the  afternoon.  John,  my. self-appointed  domestic, — 
a  negro  with  an  ugly  face  and  one  white  eye,  —  had 
safely  stowed  my  apparatus,  hunting  gear,  and  him- 
self, and  I  found  with  difficulty,  between  a  couple  of 
negresses,  a  place  for  myself.  There  were  twenty- 
five  of  us,  and  I,  as  the  only  white  man,  duly  felt  my 
insignificance. 

Amid  a  great  deal  of  jabbering,  we  pushed  off. 
The  boat  was  a  long,  open,  flat-bottomed  one,  with  a 
large  mast,  to  be  shipped  in  the  bow,  with  a  leg-of- 
mutton  sail,  and  a  smaller  one  perched  right  in  the 
peak.  A  small  negro  boy  had  charge  of  the  latter. 
They  pulled  out  a  bit,  then  shipped  the  mast.  The 
wind  came  in  puffs,  at  times  very  strong,  and  the 
captain  at  the  helm  was  repeatedly  shouting:  ^^Gar- 
20 


306  CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 

dez  !  Fort  vent !  Couf  de  vent  /  "  —  "  Look  out  1 
Strong  wind !  A  squall."  And  when  the  wind 
struck  the  boat,  instead  of  luffing,  they  had  three 
negroes  swinging  at  the  ends  of  three  ropes  attached 
a  little  more  than  half-way  up  the  mast,  who,  with 
feet  braced  against  the  rail,  would  sway  their  bodies 
out  over  the  water,  and  thus  restore  the  equilibrium 
when  she  heeled.  It  was  a  novel  and  interesting 
sight,  but  one  calculated  to  excite  reflection,  when 
wind  should  prove  stronger  than  African,  with  the 
sheets  made  fast,  a  stubborn  helmsman  hanging  to  the 
tiller  for  dear  life,  and  the  water  pouring  in  over 
the  lee  rail. 

We  rounded  the  point  and  opened  up  the  view 
of  Trois-Ilets  just  after  dark.  A  low  church,  with 
straggling  tile-covered  houses  about  it,  backed  by 
purple  hills,  with  a  cane  field  stretching  to  the  east,  in 
its  center  the  presbytery  surrounded  by  trees.  The 
stars  were  gleaming  in  the  sky  as  we  landed  and 
walked  up  to  the  house  of  the  owner  of  the  boat,  a 
boulangcr,  who  also  kept  a  shop.  There  was  no 
other  place  likely  to  afford  me  shelter,  so  I  went  to  the 
baker's  shop ;  but  the  first  square  look  I  had  at  the 
owner  convinced  me  that  he  was  not  a  man  prone  to 
hospitable  acts.  Subsequent  events,  I  am  happy  to 
say,  proved  conclusively  that  I  was  right.  He  said  he 
could  give  me  a  dinner,  but  no  bed,  so  I  went  out  with 
a  cobbler  who  could  speak  a  little  English,  in  search 
of  the  cur^,  the  parish  priest,  to  whom  I  had  a  letter. 

We  arrived  at  the  presbytery  at  about  half  past 
seven,  knocked,  and  after  some  delay  were  bidden 
to  enter  by  the  housekeeper,  a  comely  woman.  The 
curd  entered  the  room ;  short,  corpulent,  with  sensual 


HOME    OF   THE    EMPRESS  JOSEPHINE.  307 

face,  black  hair  and  evidences  of  an  abundant  beard 
in  reserve.  As  he  came  in  he  cast  an  anxious  glance 
at  the  neatly-spread  table,  where  one  plate,  one  bottle 
of  wine,  and  bread  and  napkin  for  one,  plainly  indi- 
cated that  the  cure  did  not  expect  visitors,  —  and  then 
at  the  sideboard,  where  was  a  dish  heaped  with  fruit, 
and  another  bottle  of  wine ;  and  then  a  smile  spread 
over  his  countenance,  and  he  advanced  to  meet  me. 
After  a  few  compliments  —  for  I  saw  the  worthy  curd 
was  unhappy  about  something  —  I  handed  him  the 
letter,  which  stated  substantially  that  I  washed  per- 
mission to  photograph  the  church,  and  desired  a 
glimpse  of  the  ancient  registers,  and  recommended 
me  to  his  good  offices.  As  he  read,  there  appeared 
upon  his  face  a  multitudinous  smile.  He  assured  me 
that  most  certainly  I  could  photograph  the  church, 
that  it  would  give  him  actual  pain  if  I  did  not,  etc. ; 
then  ensued  a  painful  pause.  My  friend  had  told 
him  that  I  could  find  no  place  in  which  to  sleep, 
which  he  had  not  apparently  heard,  or,  rather,  con- 
cluded that  it  mattered  not  to  a  naturalist,  who  could 
probably  sleep  anywhere,  like  a  bat,  hanging  up  by 
his  toes. 

Meanwhile,  a  savory  odor  came  in  from  the  kitchen. 
It  was  pretty  evident  that  soup  was  ready  and  being 
kept  in  waiting  over  the  coals ;  that  the  mutton  even 
was  ready  to  be  served,  and  the  fish  swimming  in  its 
sauce.  The  cure's  nostrils  dilated,  while  a  look  of 
sadness  stole  over  his  face.  My  friend  then  suggested 
that  I  had  ordered  dinner  at  the  baker's  ;  after  discuss- 
ing which,  my  only  thought  was  for  a  couch,  a  rug, 
a  floor  —  anything,  so  I  had  shelter  from  the  even- 
ing damp.     The  cure's  face  brightened,  then  clouded 


308  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

again,  and  he  hastened  to  say  that  he  was  really  dis- 
tressed, but  he  had  no  room  to  spare.  "  He  has  three 
chambers,"  said  my  friend,  in  English.  This  was 
enough.  I  hastened  away,  leaving  the  cur6  with  one 
eye  on  me  and  one  on  the  table,  uttering  the  most 
dismal  of  lamentations,  that  he  could  not  be  of  ser- 
vice to  me.  Well,  thought  I,  here  is  a  brace  of 
generous  men  to  welcome  a  stranger  to  the  home  of 
Josephine. 

The  clock  in  the  church  struck  eight  as  we  reached 
the  baker's.  There  I  found  that  John  had  arranged 
to  sleep  on  the  floor,  where  I  was  obliged,  after  a 
greasy  dinner,  to  sleep  likewise.  Awaking  in  the 
night,  thirsty,  I  was  agreeably  surprised  to  find  some 
rum  and  water  wiih  sugar.  I  found  them  also,  next 
morning,  in  the  bill,  which,  unlike  my  bed,  was  not 
low.  At  daylight  I  hastened  on,  anxious  to  escape 
from  such  a  place. 

Later  in  the  week  I  visited  the  little  church  hard 
by,  and  took  the  first  picture  ever  made  of  the  church 
in  which  the  infant  Josephine  was  baptized.  Pre- 
suming that  the  exterior  has  been  slightly  altered 
since  Josephine's  time,  the  present  spire  constructed 
and  the  clock  inserted,  it  is  the  same  structure  that 
existed  a  century  ago.  On  either  side  the  doorway 
is  a  "flambeau-tree,"  which  at  the  time  of  my  visit 
were  scarlet  with  blossoms.  Two  bells,  rung  for 
Sabbath  mass,  are  beneath  a  rough  shed  near  by,  the 
prevalent  earthquakes  forbidding  they  should  be  raised 
to  the  steeple.  Above  the  clock  is  the  image  of  the 
patron  saint.  Back  of  the  church,  stretching  down  to 
the  seaside,  is  the  cemetery.  The  interior  is  attrac- 
tive, the  altar,  as  in  all  Catholic  churches,  being  par- 


HOME    OF   THE    EMPRESS  JOSEPHINE.  309 

ticularly  ornamented.  The  two  most  interesting  ob- 
jects to  a  visitor  are,  first,  a  picture  on  the  right  of 
the  chancel,  given  by  Napoleon,  and  on  the  left  a 
tombcaii^  or  tablet,  to  the  memory  of  the  mother  of 
Josephine. 

And  here  let  me  venture  a  remark  upon  the  falli- 
bility of  certain  biographers.  In  Meme's  "Memoirs 
of  the  Empress  Josephine,"  I  find  the  following: 

"The  infancy  and  youth  of  Josephine  were  passed, 
not  under  the  paternal  roof,  but  with  an  aunt.  In- 
stead, therefore,  of  returning  to  St.  Domingo  with 
her  parents,  the  infant  remained  in  the  island  of  Mar- 
tinico.  We  can  discover  no  cause  for  this  save  a 
family  arrangement  in  the  first  instance,  and  the  pre- 
mature death  of  her  mother.  Without  being  aware 
of  this  circumstance,  however,  and  perhaps  not  recol- 
lecting that  her  father  died  before  she  had  become 
known,  the  reader  might  deem  it  remarkable,  and 
even  ungrateful,  that  Josephine  so  seldom  mentioned, 
and  consequently  has  left  such  slight  and  imperfect 
memorials  of,  her  parents." 

Headley*  is  careful  not  to  commit  himself  upon 
this  point,  and  truly  says  :  "  The  data  are  imperfect 
from  which  to  gather  a  complete  biograpliy  of  their 
gifted  daughter."  But  J.  S.  C.  Abbott,  in  his  history 
of  Josephine,  launches  forth  the  following  remarkable 
statement,  evidently  culled  from  Meme's  Memoirs  : 

"But  little  is  known  respecting  Mile,  de  Sannois, 
this  young  lady  Vv'ho  was  so  soon  married  to  M.  Ta- 
scher.     Josephine  was  the    only   child    born   of  this 

*  Headley's  "  Life  of  the  Empress  Josephine  "  is  the  most  com- 
plete, and  comprises  all  data  at  that  time  published  regarding  her. 
It  is  an  interesting  and  valuable  book. 


3IO  CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 

union.  In  consequence  of  the  early  death  of  her 
mother^  she  was,  while  an  infant,  intrusted  to  the 
care  of  her  aunt.  Her  father  soon  after  died,  and 
the  little  orphan  appears  never  to  have  known  a 
father's  or  a  mother's  love."  And  this  careless  state- 
ment of  a  stay-at-home  biographer  has  gone  forth 
to  the  world. 

Here  is  a  literal  translation  of  the  inscription  upon 
that  tablet  in  the  church  at  Trois-Ilets,  in  which  the 
parents  of  Josephine  were  married,  she  was  baptized, 
and  in  which  her  mother  lies  buried : 

HERE     LIES 

0 

THE   VENERABLE 
MADAME   ROSE  CLAIRE   DUVERGER   DE   SANNOIS, 

WIDOW     OF     MESSIRE    J.    G.    TASCHER     DE     LA     PAGERIE. 
MOTHER    OF    HER     MAJESTY    THE     EMPRESS    OF    THE     FRENCH, 

DIED  THE  SECOND  DAY  OF  JUNE,   MDCCCVII, 
AT  THE   AGE   OF   LXXI   YEARS. 

PROVIDED    WITH    THE    SACRAMENTS    OF    THE    CHURCH. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  mother  of  Josephine 
died  in  1807,  when  her  daughter  wasy^r/y^/i^r/r  years 
of  age,  having  lived  to  see  her  married  to  Beauhar- 
nais  at  the  age  of  sixteen  ;  to  welcome  her  back  to 
her  home  when  separated  from  her  husband ;  to  hear 
of  the  latter's  death,  in  1794,  of  her  marriage  to  Napo- 
leon, in  1796,  and  of  her  coronation  as  Empress  of  the 
French,  in  1804.  Fortunately,  she  passed  away  before 
the  cruel  act  of  divorce,  and  while  Josephine  was  the 
happy  wife  of  Napoleon,  but  did  not  leave  her  daugh- 


HOME    OF   THE    EMPRESS  JOSEPHINE.  3II 

ter  at  what  is  generally  considered  a  tender  age.  And 
again,  Josephine  is  spoken  of  as  being  an  only  daugh- 
ter, when  the  records  of  the  parish  show  the  registers 
of  the  baptism  of  three  and  of  the  death  of  two. 

From  the  bourg  to  La  Pagerie  the  scenery  is  un- 
interesting, being  only  of  cane-fields.  About  a  mile 
out  we  reached  a  narrow  valley  running  up  from  the 
sea  for  about  three  miles.  In  this  valley  once  stood 
the  house  in  which  Josephine  was  born,  in  1763.  Jut- 
ting hills  hide  the  site  until  you  are  close  upon  it, 
when  a  turn  in  the  road  discloses  a  secluded  vale, 
and  a  few  rods  farther  brings  you  to  a  low  wooden 
house  with  roof  of  tiles,  old  and  dilapidated,  with  a 
little  "  shingle "  over  the  doorway,  having  upon  it 
the  common  shop-sign  of  the  country,  ^^Dcbit  de  la 
J^ermc"  which  means  that  you  can  buy  there  rum 
and  salt  fish  in  limited  quantities. 

I  will  confess  to  feelings  of  disappointment  and  dis- 
gust ;  and  it  was  with  a  sinking  heart  that  I  drew 
my  water-logged  and  mud-clogged  feet  toward  the 
doorway.  But  I  was  at  once  reassured  by  a  sight  of 
the  face  of  an  honest  man,  a  good-looking,  intelligent 
one,  with  blue  eyes,  and  a  pleasant  mouth  shaded  by 
a  heavy  gray  moustache.  He  readily  gave  me  per- 
mission, and  assisted  me  so  ably  that  in  a  short  time 
I  had  secured  four  photographs  of  the  two  build- 
ings coexistent  with  Josephine,  and  had  explored  the 
rooms  where  she  resided  in  youth.  I  was  made  happy 
by  learning  that  the  house  he  occupied  was  not  one 
of  the  original  buildings,  but  had  been  constructed 
of  materials  from  the  house  in  which  Josephine  was 
born,  which  had  been  destroyed  by  a  hurricane  shortly 
after  her  birth. 


312  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

We  traced  the  walls  of  the  ancient  building,  which 
gave  evidence  of  one  of  ample  dimensions — the  walls 
once  «supporting  the  gallery  and  those  enclosing  the 
court.  The  only  buildings  now  standing  which  were 
in  existence  at  the  time  of  Josephine's  birth  are  two  — 
the  ancicnne  cuisine^  the  kitchen  once  attached  to  the 
dwelling,  and  the  sucrerie^  or  sugar-house.  Lowly 
and  humble,  with  walls  of  stone  and  roof  of  earthen 
tiles,  whose  mellow  tone  and  gray  lichens  suggested 
great  age,  was  the  old  building  which  once  had 
been  the  home  for  many  3'ears  of  the  mother  of  Jose- 
phine. For  tradition,  as  authentic  as  tradition  can  be, 
states  that  here  lived  Madame  Tascher  de  la  Pagerie 
after  the  death  of  her  husband,  and  while  her  daugh- 
ter was  the  wife  of  Napoleon.  Those  two  small  win- 
dows in  the  roof  look  into  two  chambers,  now  dilapi- 
dated and  unused,  chosen  as  the  widow's  abode  when 
left  solitary  and  alone.  Not  many  years  ago  there 
died  in  Trois-Ilets  a  very  old  woman,  once  a  domes- 
tic in  the  family,  who  attended  Madame  La  Pagerie 
in  her  later  years,  and  it  is  through  her  this  tradi- 
tion was  preserved.  Above  the  humble  roof  droops 
a  stately  mango,  rich  in  golden  fruit  and  dark-green 
leaves. 

Lieutenant  La  Pagerie  resided  with  his  bride,  in 
1761,  on  the  estate  of  his  father-in-law,  a  portion  of 
which  was  given  him  at  the  time  of  his  marriage.  A 
few  years  later  he  came  into  possession  of  it,  and  it  is 
known  at  the  present  time  as  La  Pagerie.  The  es- 
tate was  a  large  one,  employing  one  hundred  and 
fifty  slaves  in  the  cultivation  of  cane  and  coffee,  and 
yielding  a  large  annual  revenue. 

Here,   on  the    23d  of  June,   1763,  Josephine  was 


HOME    OF    THE    EMPRESS  JOSEPHINE.  313 


The  jiotAE  of  an  ^mpress. 

born.  She  had  scarcely  reached  the  age  of  three 
years  when  the  island  was  visited  by  a  terrible  hurri- 
cane that  destroyed  an  immense  amount  of  property 
and  many  lives.  The  hurricane  was  accompanied  by 
shocks  of  earthquake,  thunder  and  lightning.  None 
so  serious  had  occurred  in  the  memory  of  man.  The 
mansion  of  La  Pagerie  was  utterly  ruined  and  the 
crops  swept  away.  The  walls  of  the  sugar-house 
alone  were  left  standing,  and  to  this  building  M.  La 
Pagerie  fled  for  shelter  with  his  wife  and  two  children. 
Shortly  after  they  had  taken  up  their  residence  in  the 
sugar-house,  a  third  child,  a  daughter  also,  was  born 
to  Mme.  La  Pagerie.  This  child,  with  the  other  sis- 
ter of  Josephine,  died  young ;  and  a  mistake  on  the 
records  of  the  burial  of  the  youngest  caused  the  erro- 
neous statement  subsequently  that  Josephine  had  an 
elder  sister. 

Down  the  hill,  within  a  stone's-throw  of  the  dwell- 
ing, is  the  sugar-house  to  which  M.  La  Pagerie  re- 
moved after  the  visit  of  the  hurricane.     It  is  of  stone, 


314  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

its  walls  are  very  thick,  at  least  two  feet,  and  it  is 
covered  with  the  durable  brown  tiles  so  in  harmony 
with  the  landscape.  In  the  eastern  half  are,  or  were, 
two  large  chambers  extending  two-thirds  the  length 
of  the  building,  which  is  above  one  hundred  feet  long 
and  fifty  wide.  The  roof  is  fallen  in  at  one  place, 
and  you  can  look  into  the  interior  of  one  of  the  cham- 
bers in  which  Josephine  and  her  parents  lived  during 
her  youth. 

Ah,  if  those  massive  walls  could  speak  !  Through 
these  low  windows  how  many  times  has  the  youthful 
empress  looked  out  upon  a  landscape  that  once  pos- 
sessed all  the  beauties  of  the  tropics  !  Through  the 
wide  doorway  on  the  southern  side  how  many  times 
has  she  descended  to  indulge  in  the  gambols  which 
she  loved  so  well ! 

I  climbed  to  the  great  rafters,  from  which  the  floor- 
ing had  been  many  years  removed,  and  looked  through 
those  windows,  and  stood  in  the  same  doorway  in  which 
the  happy  Josephine  had  so  often  stood  —  a  doorway 
bordered  by  blocks  of  granite,  connecting  the  two  cham- 
bers. But  there  was  nothing  there  to  recall  her  who 
had  once  illumined  these  walls  by  her  presence,  and 
who  had  now  been  absent  a  hundred  years.  Above, 
the  roof  was  black  with  bats  clustered  in  noisy  groups, 
hanging  from  the  tiles;  beneath,  the  rafters;  and  be- 
low, the  ground.  The  sun  sank  low  behind  the  hills 
that  ringed  this  lovely  valley  round,  and  fell  with  fee- 
ble glare  through  the  rent  in  the  roof  that  once  had 
sheltered  an  empress.  Nothing  could  be  evoked  from 
empty  space ;  I  could  merely  say  that  I  had  seen  the 
home  which  once  was  hers,  and  had  trodden  ground 
her  feet  had  pressed. 


HOME    OF    THE    EMPRESS  JOSEPHINE.  315 

Of  the  first  years  of  this  illustrious  child  we  know 
little.  She  resided  here  with  her  parents  until  ten 
years  of  age,  when  she  was  sent  to  the  convent  at 
Fort  Royal,  where  she  remained  until  fifteen.  During 
the  brief  period  which  elapsed  between  her  return 
from  the  convent  and  her  marriage  to  Beauharnais, 
she  dwelt  with  her  family,  engaged  in  domestic  duties 
and  in  the  education  of  her  sisters.  At  the  age  of 
sixteen  she  was  married  to  Alexander  de  Beauhar- 
nais, in  France.  In  1788,  having  separated  from  her 
husband,  she  returned  to  her  birthplace,  and  passed 
three  tranquil  years.  With  her  little  daughter,  the 
charming  Hortense,  then  five  years  old,  she  rambled 
over  the  hills  and  valleys  endeared  to  her  by  the 
memory  of  her  childhood  days. 

With  a  loving  mother  and  father,  and  in  the  com- 
pany of  her  youngest  sister,  surrounded  by  sympa- 
thetic neighbors,  she  seems  to  have  passed  some  of 
the  happiest  days  of  her  existence.  Thus  she  writes 
of  her  retreat,  during  the  separation  from  Beauhar- 
nais : 

"Nature,  rich  and  sumptuous,  has  covered  our  fields 
with  a  carpeting  which  charms  as  well  by  the  variety 
of  its  colors  as  of  its  objects.  She  has  strewn  the 
banks  of  our  rivers  with  flowers,  and  planted  the  fresh- 
est forests  around  our  fertile  borders.  I  cannot  resist 
the  temptation  to  breathe  the  pure  aromatic  odors 
wafted  on  the  zephyr's  wings.  I  love  to  hide  myself 
in  the  green  woods  that  skirt  our  dwelling ;  there  I 
tread  on  flowers  which  exhale  a  perfume  as  rich  as 
that  of  the  orange  grove,  and  more  grateful  to  the 
senses.  How  many  charms  has  this  retreat  for  one 
in  my  situation  !   .   .   .  I  find  myself  in  the  midst  of 


3l6  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

my  relations  and  the  old  friends  who  once  loved  and 
still  love  me  tenderly." 

On  the  day  succeeding  that  on  which  I  took  my 
photographs,  some  of  the  tiles  above  the  dormer  win- 
dows were  shaken  down  by  an  earthquake.  Around 
the  house  are  cocoa  and  mango  trees,  sapadillos  and 
avocado  pears  ;  but  none  are  left  of  the  majestic  palms 
that  are  said  to  have  surrounded  the  dwelling.  The 
quiet  beauty  of  the  place,  the  gentle  manners  of  Mon- 
sieur Mareschal,  the  proprietor,  and  the  historic  asso- 
ciations of  the  valley,  all  combined  to  form  an  attraction 
not  to  be  resisted,  and  I  begged  permission  to  stay 
a  while.  My  ne^  friend  readily  acceded,  but  hesi- 
tated to  offer  me  the  only  accommodations  the  estate 
afforded,  a  room  in  the  negro  barracks  ;  but  I  assured 
him  that  I  had  camped  in  worse  places,  and  before 
nine  o'clock  that  night  I  was  established.  My  room 
was  very  small,  but  in  it  Madame  Mareschal  had 
placed  an  iron  camp-bedstead  and  a  chair,  and  to  it 
my  faithful  John  had  removed  my  effects.  It  was  in 
the  center  of  a  long,  low  structure,  built  against  the 
garden  wall,  once  used  as  quarters  for  the  servants 
when  the  estate  was  in  flourishing  circumstances. 
Right  and  left  of  me  were  negro  families ;  but 
of  their  dirt  and  noise,  and  kind  attentions,  I  will 
not  speak.  For  ten  days  I  stayed  there,  having  a 
seat  at  my  friend's  table,  and  sleeping  at  night  in  the 
barracks. 

Over  the  hills  which  surrounded  the  valley  on  every 
side  I  rambled,  with  a  little  negro  as  guide,  and  ex- 
plored many  a  nook,  that,  if  it  could  speak,  would  tell 
delightful  stories  of  the  historic  past.  Of  the  many 
pleasant  days  passed  there,  let  me  give  a  description 


HOME    OF    THE    EMPRESS  JOSEPHINE.  317 

of  one,*the  last.  It  was  morning,  the  sun  had  not 
appeared  above  the  hills,-  as,  guided  by  a  little  negro, 
I  took  the  footpath  up  the  valley,  south,  reaching  the 
narrow  lane  between  the  hills  on  the  west  and  the 
river.  Cool  and  grateful  was  the  shady  vale.  Jessa- 
mine and  frangipanni  and  acacia,  bent  low  beneath  the 
weight  of  last  night's  showers  and  sweetened  the  air : 
birds,  few  in  species  but  many  in  number,  burst  into 
song  as  we  passed.  A  little  wren,  that  had  its  habita- 
tion beneath  the  eaves  of  the  sugar-house  —  doubtless 
a  descendant  of  those  who  sang  carols  to  Josephine — 
delighted  me  with  a  trill  of  melody.  We  passed 
beneath  a  tall  silk-cotton  tree,  hung  with  silken  flowers, 
about  which  were  buzzing  bees  and  glancing  hum- 
ming-birds ;  across  the  stream  on  rude  stepping-stones  ; 
a  little  farther,  past  groups  of  mangos,  and  across  a 
rude  bridge,  till  we  reached  a  cliff,  its  face  hidden  be- 
hind a  veil  of  vines.  Then  beneath  a  wide-spreading 
mango  we  halted,  and  I  climbed  a  great  rock  and  pre- 
pared for  my  morning  bath. 

There  were  places  in  the  river  better  than  this, 
deeper  and  wider;  but  there  was  an  association  here, 
clinging  to  water-rounded  bowlders,  to  gray  cliif  and 
gravelly  basin,  that  rendered  this  little  nook  doubly 
charming.  It  was  the  favorite  resort  of  Josephine, 
where  daily,  at  early  morning,  she  came  to  bathe. 
This  tradition  has  been  handed  down  from  parent  to 
child  among  the  negroes,  whose  ancestors  were  slaves 
here,  on  this  very  estate,  and  is  better  based  than  the 
tales  of  distant  biographers.  "Z,e  bain  de  Vlm^era- 
trice,^^  it  is  called  to  this  day.  Though  time  and  flood 
and  earthquake  have  changed  it  much  since  then,  and 
its    original    proportions   somewhat   lessened,   it   still 


3l8  CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 

remains,  with  solid  towering  rocks  on  one  side,  and 
bowlders  above  and  below,  as  in  the  days  of  her  who 
once  blessed  it  with  her  presence. 

It  must  have  been  somewhere  on  this  very  path,  if 
not  within  a  gunshot  of  this  same  bathing-pool,  that 
Josephine  met  the  Sibyl  who  prophesied  so  truly  her 
future  fate  :  "  You  will  be  married  soon  ;  that  union 
will  not  be  happy ;  you  will  become  a  widow,  and 
then  —  then  you  will  be  Qiieen  of  France  !  " 

It  is  not  difficult  to  imagine  her  here  again,  sporting, 
dancing,  along  the  bank  of  this  rocky  stream.  From 
her  own  pen  we  have  a  glimpse  of  her  at  that  period, 
one  hundred  years  ago:  "I  ran,  I  jumped,  I  danced, 
from  morning  to  night.  Why  restrain  the  wild  move- 
ments of  my  childhood?  " 

And  this  maiden,  who  graced  in  later  life  the  salons 
of  an  emperor,  who  lives  in  the  memory  of  the  peo- 
ple as  a  creation  of  our  own  generation,  this  "lovely 
Creole,"  passed  the  happiest  da3's  of  her  existence 
here;  roamed  over  these  very  hills,  danced  along  these 
self-same  valleys  ;  gazed  perhaps  upon  this  same  silk- 
cotton  that  rears  its  towering  crown  above  me  now ! 

One  hundred  years  ago  ! 

Leaving  the  river,  we  climbed  the  hills  to  the  west 
and  began  our  search  for  birds.  Above  a  tangled 
mass  of  thorny  acacia  hovered  a  tiny  humming-bird, 
with  slender  beak  and  pointed  helmet,  darting  at  the 
spicy  blossoms  of  an  unknown  vine  ;  gold  and  silver 
was  he  in  the  sunshine.  The  little  gem  dropped  into 
the  thicket,  with  quivering  wings  that  never  again 
would  bear  their  owner  upward.  Qj.iickly  my  little 
companion  darted  forward  to  tear  the  vines  apart  to 
get  at  the  bird  which  lay  upon  the  ground  beneath. 


HOME    OF    THE    EMPRESS  JOSEPHINE.  319 

He  had  hardly  forced  his  hand  through,  when  he 
uttered  a  shriek  of  terror  and  fell  back,  then  ran 
quickly  to  me  and  clung  to  my  legs,  trembling  and 
weeping.  Pointing  to  the  bushes,  he  faintly  mur- 
mured, "7^?r  dc  Lance''' 

Cautiously  approaching,  I  saw  a  wicked-looking 
head,  belonging  to  a  snake  as  large  around  as  my  arm. 
It  was  broad,  triangular  in  shape,  and  flat,  with  gleam- 
ing eyes,  and  thrust  itself  toward  us  savagely,  murder 
in  its  every  look  and  motion.  My  gun  was  charged 
for  another  humming-bird,  and  the  load  of  small  shot 
I  fired  into  the  snake  did  not  cause  its  death,  and  it 
unwound  itself  and  crawled  rapidly  toward  us,  its 
eyes  flashing  fire,  intent  upon  striking  us  with  its 
fangs,  one  blow  of  which  would  cause  certain  death. 
When  he  got  within  reach  of  a  stout  cudgel  my  boy 
handed  me,  I  mauled  him  so  severely  that  he  gave  up 
the  ghost  after  a  short  but  severe  fight ;  for  the 
"7^?r  de  Lance  "  is  no  coward,  and,  like  the  rattle- 
snake, will  fight  even  fire. 

I  soon  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  him  hanging 
limp  and  lifeless  from  my  stick,  drops  of  deadly 
poison  dripping  from  his  jaws.  Between  shot  and 
cudgel  he  got  badl}'  mangled,  and  made  a  sorry 
specimen  for  preservation ;  I  substituted  for  him  a 
smaller  one,  killed  later  in  the  day,  to  send  to 'Wash- 
ington. Nothing  could  induce  my  boy  to  retrieve 
the  bird,  and,  relying  upon  his  sagacity,  I  did  not 
myself  make  the  attempt. 

Finally,  about  eleven  o'clock,  we  reached  the  sum- 
mit of  the  hill  overlooking  the  valley  toward  the  bay. 
I  sat  down  upon  a  grassy  knoll,  beneath  the  shade  of  a 
small  tulip-tree,  and  feasted  my  eyes  upon  the  pros- 


320  CAMPS   IN   THE   CARIBBEES. 

pect.  The  sea  was  like  glass,  upon  the  bay  rested 
the  three  little  islets  which  give  the  bourg  of  Trois- 
Ileis  its  name.  Beyond  the  bay,  five  miles  away,  lay 
Fort  de  France,  and  yet  farther  were  the  extinct  vol- 
canoes of  the  Trois  Pitons^  and  away  east,  just  a 
hint  of  the  Atlantic.  Below  me  rolled  hill  and  valley, 
enclosing  in  their  embrace  La  Pagerie,  birthplace  of 
Josephine. 

Never  was  scene  more  peaceful,  nor  solitude  more 
sweet.  Little  wonder  that  Josephine  should  recur  to 
it  in  memory  again  and  again,  when  surrounded  by 
the  pomp  and  magnificence  of  courts.  An  hour 
passed,  I  lay  in  silent  musing,  gazing  on  the  waving 
fields  and  shimmering  sea  : 

"  'Tis  the  fervid  tropic  noontime  ;  faint  and  low  the  sea-waves  beat ; 
Hazy  rise  the  inland  mountains  through  the  glimmer  of  the  heat" 

From  this  day-dream  I  was  rudely  awakened  by  a 
tremor  of  the  earth  beneath  me  ;  it  seemed  to  tremble, 
to  vibrate  ;  and  then  ensued  that  feeling  of  uncertainty 
that  one  experiences  when,  at  the  crest  of  a  mighty 
wave,  he  is  about  to  descend  into  abysmal  depths, 
with  his  heart  in  his  mouth. 

Sadly  I  retraced  my  steps,  not  so  much  in  love, 
I  fear,  with  this  beautiful  spot,  as  an  hour  before  the 
shock. 

That  afternoon,  the  river  came  down  from  the 
mountains  a  roaring  torrent,  washing  away  a  bridge 
and  a  great  deal  of  cane  along  its  banks ;  and  my 
host  lamented  the  loss  of  several  hundred  francs  the 
flood  had  cost  him.  That  night,  another  earthquake 
occurred,  which  awoke  me  all  too  rudely  and  caused 
me  to  reflect  upon  the  strength  of  the  thin  strips  of 


HOME   OF    THE    EMPRESS  JOSEPHINE.  32I 

bamboo,  above  my  head,  that  had  supported  the  heavy 
tiles  for  a  hundred  years. 

My  little  garcon  went  with  me  to  the  boat  at  early 
morn,  and  wept  bitterly  because  I  would  not  take  him 
with  me  ;  and  I  left  him,  regardless  of  my  douceur  of 
silver,  a  picture  of  rags  and  melancholy. 
21 


322  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 
ASCENT  OF  THE  GUADELOUPE  SOUFRIERE. 

POINT  A  PITRE.  —  THE  RIVIERE  SALEE.  —  USINES.  —  EARTH- 
QUAKE, FIRE  AND  HURRICANE.  —  A  LIVING  BULWARK.  —  THE 
CARAVELS  OF  COLUMBUS.  —  OUR  LADY  OF  GUADELOUPE,  — 
THE  CARIBS.  —  BASSE  TERRE.  —  LE   PERE  LABAT.  —  ORPHANS. 

—  THE  CHOLERA    PLAGUE.  —  A   PERMIS   DE   CHASSE.  —  MIXED. 

—  A  HORSE  WITH  POINTS.  —  GOVERNMENT  SQUARE.  — THE  CON- 
VENT. —  A  SUMMI:R  RETREAT.  —  MATOUBA.  —  MY  THATCHED 
HUT.  — DOCTOR  COLARDEAU.  —  THE  COOLIE. —  THE  COFFEE 
PLANTATION.  —  FIRST  COFFEE  IN  THE  WEST  INDIES.  —  ITS  CUL- 
TIVATION. —  TEMPERATURE  OF  THE  COFFEE  REGION.  —  BLOS- 
SOMS AND  FRUIT.  —  PICKING  AND  PREPARING.  —  THE  HIGH 
WOODS.  —  THEIR  GRANDEUR.  —  GIANT  TREES.  —  HUGE  BUT- 
TRESSES. —  LIANAS,  ROPES  AND  CABLES.  —  EPIPHYTES  AND 
PARASITES.  —  AERIAL  GARDENS. — THE  SULPHUR  STREAM. — 
THE  CONE.  —  THE  SUMMIT.  —  THE  PORTAL.  —  BLASTS  OF  HOT 
AIR.  —  nature's  ARCANA.  —  SULPHUR  CRYSTALS.  —  ERUP- 
TIONS. —  A  GRAND  VIEW,  —  IMPENETRABLE  FORESTS.  —  AN 
EXTINCT  BIRD.  —  JUAN  PONCE  DE  LEON.  —  THE  FOUNTAIN  OP 
YOUTH.  — THE  DESCENT   INTO  GLOOM. 

IT  was  in  the  height  of  the  "  hurricane  season,"  in 
August,  that  I  left  Isle  of  Martinique,  the  birth- 
place of  Josephine,  for  Guadeloupe.  At  four  o'clock, 
one  calm  morning,  we  steamed  into  the  harbor  of  Point 
h.  Pitre,  Guadeloupe's  metropolis,  and  fired  a  gun.  It 
was  very  dark ;  only  the  light-house  lamp  sent  its 
gleam  abroad  ;  but  in  an  hour  the  water  about  us  was 
alive  with  boats. 


ASCENT    OF    THE    GUADELOUPE    SOUFRIERE.     323 

Guadeloupe  is  separated  into  two  islands,  one  of 
volcanic  origin,  uneven  and  mountainous,  the  other 
low  and  flat,  without  even  a  hill.  A  narrow  creek 
divides  them  —  a  shallow,  salt  passage,  called  the 
Riviere  Salee.  The  banks  of  this  creek  are  lined 
with  mangroves  ;  and  it  is  one  of  the  hottest  places  in 
the  West  Indies,  as  my  shooting  excursions  verified. 
Point  a  Pitre  is  situated  at  the  southern  mouth  of  this 


salt  river.  It  is  regularly  built,  with  broad,  straight 
streets,  with  a  fountain  in  the  center  of  a  square,  a 
fine  cathedral,  and  many  good  houses.  Here  is,  also, 
one  of  the  largest  tistnes,  or  factories  for  making  sugar, 
in  the  world,  second  only  to  the  largest  known  —  that 
of  the  khedive  of  Egypt. 

What  strikes  the  visitor  with  surprise  is  the  neio 


324  CAMPS   IN   THE   CARIBBEBS. 

appearance  of  all  the  buildings,  and  the  scarcity  of 
trees.  The  explanation  of  this  is  found  in  the  records 
of  the  city  ;  it  is  just  recovering  from  the  effects  of  a 
destructive  fire.  Within  the  past  few  years  Point  ^ 
Pitre  has  passed  through  at  least  four  trying  ordeals 
by  the  elements.  First,  it  w^as  shaken  down  by  an 
earthquake ;  then  all  the  buildings  were  of  stone, 
large  and  massive.  Rebuilding  their  city,  these  in- 
domitable Frenchmen  constructed  their  houses  of 
wood.  It  was  not  long,  not  many  years,  before,  in 
the  language  of  my  informant,  "  there  came  along  the 
tallest  kind  of  a  hurricane,  and  tumbled  their  wooden 
houses  into  ruins."  To  add  to  the  horrors,  a  fire 
broke  out,  which  swept  their  city  clean.  The  wise 
men  cogitated,  how  to  build  to  escape  earthquake,  fire, 
and  hurricane.  The  result  was  the  adoption  of  the 
present  system  of  construction,  with  strong  iron  frame, 
filled  in  with  brick  or  composite.  The  loss  of  life  in 
these  successive  disasters  has  been  fearful,  but  these 
courageous  Creoles  have  faith  in  the  future  of  their 
city  ;  and  I  doubt  if  they  once  give  a  thought  to  the 
mighty  power  against  which  they  are  contending,  or 
that  they  are  fighting  forces  controlled  by  Nature's 
laws,  that  always  will  operate  in  the  same  way  and 
place,  without  regard  to  the  little  doings  of  mankind. 
But  it  was  not  to  remain  in  Point  5,  Pitre  that  I  came 
here ;  the  blue  mountains  forty  miles  away  beckoned 
me  to  their  cool  retreats,  and  before  night  I  had  en- 
gaged passage  on  board  a  little  schooner,  the  "  Siren," 
for  Basse  Terre,  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains.  I  left 
Point  h  Pitre  in  the  evening  —  the  sea  like  glass,  the 
mosquitoes  like  fiends.  For  many  hours  we  drifted 
aimlessly.     The  cabin  was  a  black  hole  full  of  mer- 


ASCENT    OF    THE    GUADELOUPE    SOUFRIERE.     325 

chandise,  and  I  was  obliged  to  sleep  on  deck,  which 
was  covered  with  negroes.  With  a  bulwark  of  fat  and 
garrulous  negroes,  men  and  women,  on  either  side  of 
me,  I  stretched  myself  upon  a  narrow  ledge  and  fell 
asleep.  If  those  blacks  had  given  way,  I  v/ould  have 
been  lost.  To  their  credit  be  it  said,  they  did  not,  but 
sat  there  the  livelong  night,  and  soothed  me  to  sleep 
with  the  musical  numbers  of  their  patois.  The  night 
was  dark,  the  sky  black,  with  stars  shining  in  it  as 
through  holes  in  a  vaulted  roof.  In  the  middle  of 
the  night  there  came  up  a  rain-storm,  driving,  pitiless. 
Awakened  by  the  plashing  of  drops  in  my  face,  I 
drew  my  rubber  poncho  over  me  and  fell  asleep  again 
to  the  murmur  of  their  patter  on  the  waves. 

These  are  historic  waters.  I  was  coasting  a  shore 
along  which  sailed  the  caravels  of  Columbus ;  but 
even  the  consciousness  of  this  fact  could  not  induce 
me  to  go  to  the  rail  and  peer  into  the  darkness  for 
some  ancient  landmark.  Spite  of  historic  reminis- 
cence, and  in  spite  of  my  odorous  enclosure  of  natives, 
I  slept  the  sleep  of  the  just  man  who  is  taking  his 
second  night's  rest  in  his  clothes ;  thanks  to  years  of 
camp  life. 

I  have  said  that  this  was  historic  ground,  this  island 
of  Guadeloupe,  and  fraught  with  deeds  dear  to 
America's  existence,  these  waters  that  lave  its  shores. 
Let  me  quote,  in  confirmation,  the  words  of  Irving  as 
he  describes  the  second  voyage  of  Columbus  :  "  The 
islands  among  which  Columbus  had  arrived  were  a 
part  of  that  beautiful  cluster  called  by  some  the  An- 
tilles, which  sweep  almost  in  a  semicircle  from  the 
eastern  end  of  Porto  Rico  to  the  coast  of  Paria  on  the 
Southern  continent During  the  first  day  that 


326  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

he  entered  this  archipelago,  Columbus  saw  no  less 
than  six  islands  of  different  magnitude.  After  seek- 
ing in  vain  for  good  anchorage  at  Dominica,  he  stood 
for  another  of  the  group,  to  which  he  gave  the  name 
of  his  ship,  Marigalante.  Here  he  landed,  displayed 
the  royal  banner,  and  took  possession  of  the  archi- 
pelago in  the  name  of  his  sovereigns.  The  island 
appeared  to  be  uninhabited ;  a  rich  and  dense  forest 
overspread  it;  some  of  the  trees  were  in  blossom, 
others  laden  with  unknown  fruits,  others  possessing 
spicy  odors,  among  which  was  one  with  the  leaf  of 
the  laurel  and  the  fragrance  of  the  clove.  Hence 
they  made  sail  for  an  island  of  larger  size,  with  a 
remarkable  mountain ;  one  peak,  which  proved  after- 
ward the  crater  of  a  volcano,  rose  to  a  great  height, 
with  streams  of  water  gushing  from  it."  [This  is  the 
volcano  I  hope  to  reach  by  and  by.]  "  As  they  ap- 
proached within  three  leagues,  they  beheld  a  cataract 
of  such  height  that,  to  use  the  words  of  the  narrator, 
it  seemed  to  be  falling  from  the  sky.  As  it  broke  into 
foam  in  its  descent,  many  at  first  believed  it  to  be  a 
stratum  of  white  rock.  To  this  island,  which  was 
called  by  the  natives  Turuqucira^  the  admiral  gave 
the  name  of  Guadeloupe,  having  promised  the  monks 
of  Our  Lady  of  Guadeloupe,  in  Estremadura,  to  call 
some  newly-discovered  place  after  their  convent. 
Landing  here  on  the  4th  of  November,  1493,  they 
visited  a  village  near  the  shore,  the  inhabitants  of 
which  fled  in  affright,  leaving  their  children  behind 
in  their  terror  and  confusion.  The  isdand  on  this  side 
extended  for  a  distance  of  five-and-twenty  leagues, 
diversified  with  lofty  mountains  and  broad  plains." 
This  was  the  first  island  in  which  Columbus  saw 


ASCENT    OF    THE    GUADELOUPE    SOUFRIERE.     327 

the  wonderful  Caribs^  of  whom  he  had  heard  so  much 
in  Hispaniola.  The  account  he  gave  of  their  neat 
villages,  of  the  finding  here  of  the  fragment  of  a 
vessel,  and  the  first  pine-apple,  is  extremely  interest- 
ing, as  are  all  descriptions  of  first  things,  or  the 
discovery  of  things  previously  unknown,  to  us  of  the 
present  day. 

And  this  coast,  which  1  later  saw  in  all  its  grandeur 
of  lofty  clifls  and  towering  mountains,  in  its  loveliness 
of  curving  bays  and  palm-bordered  beaches,  this 
coast  was  right  abeam,  hidden  behind  the  impene- 
trable wall  of  night.  A  second  time  I  sought  a  land- 
ing on  Guadeloupe  shore  before  daylight.  We  sailed 
into  the  roadstead  of  Basse  Terre,  on  the  open  sea  at 
the  southern  end  of  the  island.  Darkness  covered 
everything ;  a  few  cocks  commenced  crowing,  a  few 
lights  gleamed  out.  At  five,  a  gun  boomed  out  from 
the  fort,  and  the  cathedral  bell  commenced  at  once, 
as  if  from  the  vibration,  tolling  for  early  mass.  Day- 
light crawled  slowly  in  and  revealed  the  open  market 
by  the  landing,  already  crowded  with  people,  the 
noise  of  whose  wrangling  had  reached  us  long  since. 

Basse  Terre  is  the  seat  of  governm.ent  of  Guade- 
loupe, as  Fort  de  France  is  that  of  Martinique.  Like 
Fort  de  France,  also,  it  is  chosen  by  these  far-seeing 
Frenchmen  as  the  dep8t  of  government  property,  that 
other  towns,  like  that  of  Point  a  Pitre,  and  St.  Pierre 
of  Martinique,  may  not,  by  their  superior  advantages 
for  commerce  and  trade,  draw  all  the  population 
thither.  To  this  end,  the  distribution  of  wealth, 
and  the  better  cultivation  of  the  soil,  the  French 
have  covered  both  their  islands  with  roads,  in  striking 
contrast   to   the    rough   bridle-paths    of  the   English 


328  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

islands  equally  mountainous.  The  government  build- 
ings are  in  the  upper  part  of  the  town  between  two 
rivers,  behind  a  large  stone  fort.  They  surround 
three  sides  of  a  square  bordered  by  mighty  palmistes, 
and  with  an  elegant  fountain  of  bronze  as  center-piece. 
North  and  east  of  the  town  tower  the  mountains,  the 
land  commencing  to  rise  to  their  summits  at  its  very 
outskirts ;  its  upper  streets  lead  into  the  hills.  The 
houses  are  built  of  stone,  but  are  not  large  or  pre- 
tentious. The  streets  are  straight,  parallel  with  the 
shore,  and  at  right  angles  with  it.  In  the  center  of 
the  town  is  an  open  market-place,  in  which  is  a  foun- 
tain fed  from  the  mountains,  around  which  is  a  row 
of  tamarind  trees.  All  the  serving-women  of  the  place 
come  to  this  fountain  to  fill  their  jars  with  the  cool 
water  that  perpetually  drips  from  the  bronze  lips  of 
the  basin.  The  cathedral,  or  more  properly  the 
Basilique,  is  a  good  old  structure  of  stone,  dating 
from  the  time  of  Le  Pere  Labat. 

As  the  founder  of  this  town,  and  an  author  of  note, 
whose  valuable  book  on  the  Antilles  contains  the  most 
comprehensive  account  of  these  islands,  this  worthy 
pdre  deserves  especial  notice.  Born  in  Paris  in  1663, 
he  jomed  the  Dominican  friars  in  1685,  and  two  years 
later  was  appointed  professor  of  mathematics  and 
philosophy  at  Nancy.  In  1693,  while  in  Paris,  he 
saw  letters  from  the  Superior  of  that  order  in  Marti- 
nique to  the  Brothers  in  France,  imploring  them  to 
send  out  missionaries  to  replace  those  who  had  died 
from  contagious  disease.  Seizing  this  opportunity  for 
consecrating  himself  to  mission  work,  and  carrying 
out  a  resolution  he  had  a  long  time  cherished,  he 
departed  for  Martinique,  arriving  there  in  January, 


ASCENT    OF    THE    GUADELOUPE    SOUFRIERE.     329 

1694.  Two  years  later  he  was  sent  to  Guadeloupe. 
Later,  returning  to  Martinique,  he  found  his  place 
occupied  by  another,  and  was,  as  a  mark  of  confi- 
dence, appointed  -procureur  general  of  the  mission. 
In  this  capacity  he  visited  all  the  isles  of  the  Antilles, 
French,  English,  and  Dutch;  but  passed  the  greater 
portion  of  his  time  in  Martinique  and  Guadeloupe. 
In  1703  he  founded  the  town  of  Basse  Terre,  and 
took  an  active  part  in  the  defence  of  the  island  against 
the  attack  of  the  English,  in  March  of  the  same  year. 
The  "  Bellicose  Pere  Blanc"  as  he  was  called  by  the 
people  of  the  island,  could  not  prevent  his  monastery 
from  being  burned,  by  which  disaster  he  lost  all  his 
books,  manuscripts,  and  instruments.  He  returned  to 
France  in  1705,  resided  in  Paris  and  Rome,  and  in 
the  former  city  prepared  his  different  voyages  for 
publication.  He  there  died  in  1738.  His  most  im- 
portant work,  ^^JVouveau  Voyage  aux  lies  (TAmSr- 
ique,''^  is  as  valuable  as  it  is  at  the  present  time  rare. 
It  was  published  in  Paris  in  1722.  He  wrote,  besides, 
six  large  works  of  travel,  chiefly  from  the  manuscripts 
of  other  travelers.  A  genus  of  plants,  containing  a 
species  indigenous  to  Cuba  and  one  to  Cayenne,  was 
named,  in  his  honor,  Labatia.  The  old  Basilique  re- 
mains, in  defiance  of  earthquakes  and  hurricanes,  a 
monument  to  the  activity  and  zeal  of  this  good  father. 
Its  front,  however,  was  rebuilt  a  few  years  ago. 

During  my  sta}'^  in  Basse  Terre  I  was  struck  by  the 
number  of  children  fatherless  and  motherless,  and 
upon  inquiry  was  told  that  these  orphans,  whose 
sweet  faces  so  appealed  to  one's  sympathy,  were  sur- 
vivors of  the  great  cholera  plague  not  many  years 
since,  in  which  some  fifteen  thousand  persons,  I  be- 


330  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

lieve,  were  swept  away.  Outside  the  town,  but  a  few 
minutes'  walk  along  the  bluff,  lies  the  cemetery,  where 
crosses  and  quaint  tombs  mark  the  last  resting-places 
of  many  poor  souls.  Beyond,  below  this  place  of 
sepulchre,  is  a  depression  in  the  hillside,  which,  I 
was  told,  was  once  a  deep  ravine,  into  which  were 
cast  the  bodies  of  those  who  died  of  the  plague.  So 
rapidly  were  they  stricken  down  that  people  enough 
could  not  be  found  to  bury  them,  and  the  living  hardly 
sufficed  to  take  away  the  dead.  Finally  vessels  were 
employed,  which,  laden  with  corpses,  departed  one 
after  the  other  into  the  offing  with  their  freight  of 
death.  There  was  scant  ceremony  in  the  carrying 
away  of  these  stricken  ones  from  the  place  where 
once  they  had  enjoyed  life  to  be  given  over  to  the 
dwellers  of  the  deep  !  For  many  months  the  corpses 
strewed  the  strand,  and  fish  from  the  sea  were  ban- 
ished from  the  tables  of  the  island  for  a  twelvemonth 
after.  What  is  remarkable  in  this  plague  is,  that  it 
extended  to  the  higher  and  generally  healthy  mountain 
villages,  and  killed  as  ruthlessly  as  along  the  heated 
coast. 

The  heat  in  town  was  intense,  and  I  was  glad  to 
be  allowed  to  depart  for  the  mountains,  after  having 
been  compelled  to  wait  for  my  permit  to  shoot.  Every 
one  desirous  of  shooting  in  these  islands  is  compelled 
to  pay  ten  francs  for  a  pcnnts  dc  chassc,  which  the 
French  official,  with  characteristic  courtesy  to  a  stran- 
ger, gave  me  without  the  usual  fee.  It  was  a  lengthy 
document,  exceeding  in  size  my  American  passport 
from  the  Secretary  of  State ;  and,  in  the  comparison 
of  the  two  papers,  each  of  which  affects  to  describe 
me  accurately,  there  is  much  food  for  reflection  upon 


ASCENT    OF    THE    GUADELOUPE    SOUFRIERE.      33I 

the  fallibility  of  passport-makers.  Indeed,  were  I 
furnished  with  a  few  more  acctiraie  descriptions,  I 
should  certainly  lose  my  identity  and  wander  about  in 
a  maze  of  uncertainty,  feeling,  like  those  immortal 
twins,  decidedly  mixed.  My  American  description 
gives  my  eyes  as  brown,  mouth  small,  nose  straight, 
hair  brown,  and  face  oval.  To  this  a  justice  of  the 
peace  has  affixed  hand  and  seal.  A  French  official, 
in  the  name  of  the  governor,  positively  asserts  that 
eyes  and  eyebrows  are  black,  mouth  large  {bouche 
grandc),  nose  aquiline,  "visage  ovale"  and  com- 
plexion blanc  —  which  is  supposed  to  be  light.  To 
avoid  any  unpleasantness  with  the  numerous  gen- 
darmes  who  patrol  the  country,  I  carried  both  pa- 
pers. 

Armed,  then,  with  my  f  emits  de  chasse,  and  sped 
on  my  way  with  a  hearty  bon  voyage  from  the  chief 
of  police,  I  turned  my  horse's  head  toward  the  moun- 
tains. He  was  a  picturesque  animal,  that  horse;  and 
when  I  say  picturesque,  I  use  the  term  in  its  most 
artistic  sense,  for  by  no  other  can  I  do  justice  to  his 
man}''  projecting  points,  bold  features,  and  rough  angu- 
larities. He,  indeed,  was  a  horse  of  many  points  — 
good  ones,  too,  perhaps,  in  a  certain  sense.  Hang- 
ing my  umbrella  from  one  of  his  shoulder-blades,  and 
grasping  his  mane  with  one  hand,  I  vaulted  into  the 
dilapidated  saddle,  deeply  sunken  between  loins  and 
withers.  With  a  groan  he  started  forward,  putting  in 
motion  his  somewhat  formidable  array  of  joints,  and  I 
ascended  the  hills  to  the  rattle  of  bones. 

Beyond  the  government  buildings  is  the  Convent 
of  Versailles,  where  the  girls  of  the  island  are  edu- 
cated ;    and   higher  up,   occupying  a  broad   plateau 


332  CAMPS   IN   THE   CARIBBEES. 

some  fifteen  hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  is  the  sum- 
mer camp  of  the  governor  and  the  troops.  Spacious 
buildings,  including  a  hospital,  barracks,  and  gov- 
ernor's house,  are  almost  hidden  by  trees,  among 
which  the  palmiste  towers  conspicuous  with  its  gray 
column  and  green  coronet.  Passing  these,  my  road 
led  me  to  a  little  hamlet  on  the  mountain-side  over- 
looking the  Caribbean  Sea,  called  Matouba.  Nearly 
all  its  little  thatched  houses  were  full,  as  the  people 
of  Basse  Terre,  all  who  can  afford  it,  come  up  here 
at  this,  the  sickly  season,  to  enjoy  the  baths  and  the 
cool  air.  Through  the  kindness  of  a  friend  I  was  able 
to  hire  a  small  room,  one  of  two,  in  a  little  thatched 
hut  eighteen  feet  by  fourteen.  The  other  half,  sepa- 
rated by  a  partition,  over  which  I  could  easily  make  a 
hand-spring,  was  occupied  by  the  owner  of  the  house, 
his  wife,  brother,  and  three  children.  Contentedly  I 
swung  my  hammock  from  two  corners  of  the  room, 
thanking  a  good  Providence  that  I  could  enjoy  all  by 
myself  as  much  room  as  sufficed  for  the  other  six. 

For  ten  days  I  remained  in  Matouba,  roaming  over 
the  coffee  plantations  and  climbing  the  hills  in  quest 
of  birds.  Many  streams  dash  hurriedly  down  from 
the  mountain,  and  there  are  waterfalls  and  cascades, 
and  high  up  the  hill  is  the  bain  chaud,  a  warm  spring 
difficult  of  access.  Tired  of  the  continual  rain,  and 
wishing  for  the  society  of  some  one  speaking  my  own 
language,  I  set  off  one  morning,  under  guidance  of 
my  boy  "  Co-co,**  to  find  the  mayor  of  a  neighboring 
commune  —  the  commune  of  St.  Claude — who  could, 
I  was  told,  speak  English.  Passing  through  the  litde 
village,  I  entered  a  higher  region  devoted  to  coffee 
plantations,  and  climbed  to  a  spur  of  the  Soufridre, 


ASCENT    OF   THE    GUADELOUPE    SOUFRIERE.     333 

right  beneath  the  volcano  itself,  where  I  found  a  com- 
fortable little  country  house,  was  greeted  in  English 
by  the  proprietor,  who  had  heard  of  me  before,  and 
welcomed.  A  delightful  week  was  passed  here,  for 
my  host.  Monsieur  Colardeau,  was  a  graduate  of  Yale 
College,  and  had  lived  in  America,  practicing  his 
profession  of  physician,  for  eighteen  years.  He  was 
a  naturalist  withal,  and  the  remainder  of  that  day  was 
devoted  to  the  animal  life  of  the  mountains,  and  espe- 
cially the  birds. 

The  "  hurricane  season,"  from  July  through  Octo- 
ber, is  one  of  calms,  tempests,  and  rains,  and  it  was 
several  days  before  the  weather  cleared  sufficiently 
for  me  to  undertake  the  ascent  of  the  Soufriere.  At 
last,  one  night,  just  before  the  sun  dipped  beneath  the 
sea,  the  jagged  outlines  of  the  volcano  showed  against 
a  clear  sky,  and  my  friend  predicted  a  fair  day  for 
the  morrow.  At  daybreak,  the  Indian  provided  by 
my  friend  came  for  me ;  not  an  Indian  native  to  the 
island,  they  were  long  since  extinct,  but  one  from  the 
far  East,  the  land  to  which  Columbus  in  his  voyages 
thought  he  was  discovering  a  shorter  route  —  an  In- 
dian under  indenture,  a  coolie  from  Calcutta.  He 
brought  a  knapsack  full  of  provisions  which  Madame 
Colardeau  had  provided  the  night  before,  and  he  car- 
ried upon  his  head  my  photographic  apparatus,  and 
marched  before  me  into  the  mists  of  the  morning  which 
came  pouring  down  from  the  mountain-tops.  After 
drinking  a  cup  of  black  coffee,  I  seized  my  gun  and 
followed  my  guide. 

Behind  the  house,  far  up  the  slope,  stretched  a  broad 
area  of  coffee-trees,  an  inheritance,  this  coffee  estate, 
from  the  ancestors  of  Monsieur  Colardeau,  who  in  no 


334  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

particular  allowed  it  to  deteriorate  from  its  pristine 
vigor  of  a  century  ago.  Coffee-trees  of  many  years* 
growth  grew  by  the  side  of  young  plants  set  out  to 
replace  the  aged  and  enfeebled  ones.  The  plantation 
is  divided  into  small  squares  a  few  hundred  feet  in 
length,  by  long  rows  of  quick-growing  trees  called 
^ots  douccy  -pommt  rose,  and  oleander.  This  is  to 
protect  the  tender  coffee-plants  from  the  wind,  and 
from  the  hurricanes  which  sometimes  ravage  these 
islands.  These  long  rows  of  high  trees  give  the  cof- 
fee estates  a  striated  appearance  at  a  distance.  The 
coffee-tree  is  allowed  to  grow  to  a  height  of  but  six 
or  eight  feet,  as  this  insures  more  perfect  berries  and 
renders  the  gathering  easier.  The  younger  plants 
are  further  protected  and  shaded  by  plantains  and 
bananas,  which  attain  a  great  height  in  a  twelve- 
month. 

Coffee  was  early  introduced  into  the  West  Indies. 
It  is  said  that,  of  three  plants  entrusted  to  the  captain 
of  the  first  vessel  bringing  it,  two  died,  and  that  the 
remaining  one  was  only  kept  alive  by  water  withheld 
from  a  famishing  crew.  The  first  coffee  was  grown 
in  Martinique ;  hence,  though  that  island  does  not 
raise  enough  for  its  own  consumption  at  the  present 
time,  all  coffee  exported  from  Guadeloupe  is  known 
as  "Martinique  coffee."  Its  cultivation  is  easy  and 
pleasant,  although  somewhat  expensive  and  difficult 
during  the  first  years  of  its  growth.  Being  generally 
situated  on  the  mountains,  the  coffee  plantations  are 
considered  as  the  most  healthy  and  desirable  places 
of  residence  in  the  West  Indies.  At  the  height  of  two 
thousand  feet,  in  the  mountains  of  Guadeloupe,  the 
temperature  varies  from  fifty-five  degrees,  Fahrenheit, 


ASCENT    OF    THE    GUADELOUPE    SOUFRIERE.      335 

during  the  winter  months,  to  eighty  degrees  during 
the  hottest  days  of  August.  A  few  miles  below,  on 
the  sea-shore,  it  reaches  one  hundred  degrees. 

The  coflee-plants  are  raised  from  seeds  generally 
sown  in  beds.  When  from  fifteen  to  eighteen  months 
old,  the  plants  are  transplanted  from  the  nurseries 
into  the  fields  at  a  distance  of  six  feet  apart  each  way. 
The  young  trees  sometimes  give  a  light  crop  in  the 
third  year  from  setting  out,  and  increase  in  yield  from 
that  time  for  several  years.  A  coffee-tree  is  in  its  full 
strength  and  beauty  at  the  age  of  twenty  years,  and 
will  last  a  century.  The  tree  blossoms,  generally, 
every  month  from  February  to  May.  The  fruit  ripens 
from  August  to  January,  and  is  picked  carefully  by 
hand,  there  being  ripe  and  green  berries  on  the  same 
branches,  and,  Indeed,  often  blossoms  also.  As  soon 
as  the  berries  are  all  removed,  the  trees  commence 
blossoming  again,  and  so  on  for  many  years.  The 
fruit,  or  "berry,"  as  it  is  called,  is  red,  and  somewhat 
resembles  a  cherry,  and  is  quite  sweet.  The  kernel, 
which  is  the  cofTee,  is  divided  into  two  parts  with  their 
flat  sides  adhering. 

After  having  been  picked  from  the  trees,  the  ber- 
ries are  passed  through  a  mill  made  for  the  purpose, 
which  divides  the  red  pulpy  skins  from  the  kernel. 
These  last,  which  are  the  only  parts  saved,  after  a 
slight  fermentation  of  a  few  hours,  in  order  to  remove 
the  mucilaginous  coating  with  which  they  are  cov- 
ered, are  washed  freely  in  cold  water  and  then  dried 
in  the  sun.  They  are  still  covered,  after  being  dried, 
with  a  tough,  yellowish  pellicle,  which  is  removed  by 
placing  the  cofTee  in  large  mortars  with  ovoidal  bot- 
toms,  made   of  hard   wood  or  iron,   and    under  the 


336  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

action  of  heavy  rounded  pestles,  working  like  the 
fulling-mills  of  woolen  factories.  Beneath  these  pes- 
tles, which  are  generally  worked  b}^  water-power,  the 
pellicles  are  broken  off  into  small  scales,  like  bran, 
and  the  coffee  liberated.  The  whole  is  then  carried 
to  the  fanning-mill,  from  which  the  coffee  comes  out 
freed  from  the  chaff.  Lastly,  the  coffee  is  spread 
upon  large  tables,  and  all  the  black,  brown,  or  broken 
grains  removed  by  hand  ;  though  this  is  done  only 
for  the  superior  article  called  cafe  bonifieur^  which 
has  a  local  value  of  two  cents  more  per  pound  than 
that  not  thus  treated. 

Nearly  all  the  coffee  raised  in  the  island  goes  to 
France,  where  it  is  much  sought  after ;  but  it  is  ex- 
pensive, its  value  being,  in  the  island  itself,  from 
twenty-three  to  twenty-six  cents,  when  purchased 
from  the  producers.  Mocha  coffee  \i  raised  only  in 
small  quantities,  but  it  is  of  excellent  quality.  In 
order  to  increase  the  cultivation  of  coffee,  the  colonial 
government  has  lately  offered  a  premium  of  forty  dol- 
lars for  every  new  hectare  (two  acres)  thus  planted. 
The  coffee  plantations  do  not  interfere  with  the  sugar 
estates,  as  they  are  generally  on  the  mountains,  while 
the  latter  occupy  land  near  the  seashore.  There  are, 
at  present,  nine  hundred  and  sixty-five  coffee  estates 
in  Guadeloupe.  This  description  of  coffee-culture  was 
given  me  by  Monsieur  Colardeau. 

From  the  glossy  green  leaves  gleamed  berries,  yel- 
low and  red,  giving  a  beautiful  effect.  In  one  of  the 
squares  I  observed  a  large  bed  of  straw^berries,  the 
only  ones  I  have  seen  in  these  islands.  Higher  up  I 
found  a  species  of  rubus^  a  raspberry  found  only  in 
high  altitudes,  and  the  only  representative  of  its  family 


ASCENT    OF    THE    GUADELOUPE    SOUFRIERE.      337 

in  these  wilds.  Beyond  the  limits  of  the  coffee  grove 
we  came  upon  the  borders  of  the  high-woods,  where 
one  must  go  to  see  the  vegetation  of  the  tropics  in  its 
greatest  perfection  of  growth  and  luxuriance. 

There  is  a  suggestiveness  of  giant  trees  and  a  re- 
freshing thought  of  cool  retreats  in  the  appellation, 
universal  throughout  these  islands,  bestowed  upon 
these  high  forests,  to  distinguish  them  from  those  of 
the  lowland.  As  you  set  foot  over  the  sharply-defined 
line  of  demarkation,  you  leave  the  sun  with  his  scorch- 
ing beams  behind,  and  enter  a  gloomy  arch  beneath 
a  canopy  of  leaves.  The  trail  is  sinuous  and  slip- 
pery, and  winds  beneath  huge  trees,  which  we  feel  — 
for  we  cannot  see  their  crowns  —  rear  their  heads 
aloft.  Overhead  is  a  leafy  vault,  through  which  the 
sun  cannot  send  a  gleam,  save  now  and  then  a  needle 
ray ;  and  through  this  vaulted  roof  are  thrust  up  the 
trunks  of  mighty  trees,  with  a  diameter,  from  but- 
tress to  buttress,  of  twenty  feet.  And  these  broad 
buttresses,  which  spread  out  on  every  side  as  sup- 
ports to  the  main  trunk,  are  studies  in  themselves. 
In  the  spaces  between  them  there  is  room  to  pitch 
a  tent.  Fifty,  sixty  feet  up,  begin  the  broad-armed 
limbs,  which  spread  over  a  vast  area ;  and  from  these 
limbs  depend  attractive  and  wonderful  ropes  and  cord- 
age of  nature's  making,  which  descend  from  out  the 
canopy  above  as  from  the  zenith  of  heaven,  and  touch- 
ing the  earth,  climb  again  into  space,  no  one  knows 
where,  no  one  knows  how.  They  are  of  all  sizes, 
and  twisted  into  every  conceivable  shape  —  some  like 
huge  hawsers  and  cables,  and  others  small  as  bass- 
lines  and  stretched  as  straight  and  taut  as  the  rig- 
ging of  a  ship.  Surrounded  by  the  net-work  of  lianes 
22 


338  CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 

and  lialines  alone,  the  trunks  would  be  barely  visi- 
ble ;  but  this  is  not  all.  Up  their  rough  circumfer- 
ence creep  vines  and  climbing-plants,  clinging  closely 
and  firmly  by  multitudinous  rootlets,  hung  with  broad 
and  pendulous  leaves.  Attached  again  to  the  vines 
and  lianes  are  groups  and  clusters  of  epiphytic  and 
parasitic  plants,  some  like  pine-apples,  some  large  as 
cabbages,  some  like  huge  callas ;  and  among  them 
ferns  and  tillandsias,  scores  of  species,  piled,  plant 
after  plant,  one  above  the  other,  in  seeming  confusion, 
each  striving  for  a  foothold  in  its  aerial  world.  Now 
and  then  there  will  be  a  great  spike  of  blossoms,  crim- 
son, scarlet,  or  pure  white,  at  which  a  humming-bird 
will  dart,  fluttering  up  and  down,  the  whole  scene 
reminding  one  of  those  lines  in  "  Evangeline,"  where 
the  vines  — 

•'  Hung  their  ladder  of  ropes  aloft,  like  the  ladder  of  Jacob, 
On  whose  pendulous  stairs  the  angels,  ascending,  descending, 
Were  the  swift  humming-birds,  that  flitted  from  blossom  to  blos- 
som." 

No  sound  broke  the  solemn  stillness  of  this  moun- 
tain forest  save  the  cooing  of  a  distant  wood-pigeon, 
and  nothing  showed  itself  except  an  occasional  -per- 
drix,  or  mountain  partridge,  as  it  flitted  like  a  ghost 
across  our  path.  Up  and  higher  we  ascended ;  the 
trees  diminished  in  size,  and  there  came  to  our  ears 
the  murmur  of  falling  water,  which  we  could  not  see, 
from  the  rankness  of  the  vegetation.  Balisicrs^  or 
wild  plantains,  with  broad  green  leaves  and  spikes  of 
crimson  and  golden  cups,  now  lined  the  trail,  and 
glorious  tree-ferns,  in  majesty  of  beauty  unsurpassed, 
spread  their  leaves  above  them. 

We  reached  the  stream,  and  found  it  warm  —  so 


ASCENT    OF    THE    GUADELOUPE    SOUFRIERE.     339 

hot  that  vapor  arose  on  this  not  too  cool  atmosphere. 
It  was  sulphur-impregnated,  also,  as  the  discolored 
leaves  abundantly  testified,  and  flowed  over  a  bitu- 
minous bed.  The  luxuriance  of  the  vegetation  here 
was  marvelous,  and  pen  of  mine  cannot  describe  the 
beauty  of  the  ferns,  orchids,  and  parasites,  arches  and 
bridges  of  tropical  trees  and  ferns,  that  overhung  and 
spanned  this  tepid  stream.  A  few  rods  farther  up 
we  came  upon  a  basin  of  colorless  water,  walled  off 
with  blocks  of  lava,  the  overflow  of  which  formed  the 
stream.  At  it  I  cast  a  wistful  glance,  but  could  only 
stop  to  feel  its  w^armth  with  my  hand  and  note  the 
beauty  of  the  banks  of  ferns  above  it.  Here  we  left 
my  apparatus,  plunged  anew  into  a  depth  of  green- 
wood, and  commenced  an  ascent  that,  for  steepness, 
left  all  former  paths  behind.  We  had  to  lift  ourselves 
up  by  successive  broad  steps,  and  cling  to  roots  and 
trees  for  aid. 

Emerging  from  the  darkness  of  this  tunnel-like 
passage,  we  came  upon  another  zone  of  vegetation, 
where  the  trees  were  dwarfed  to  shrubs,  and  so  inter- 
twined and  malted  together  that  a  path  had  to  be  cut 
with  the  cutlass.  Every  native  laborer  of  these  islands 
carries  a  large  and  ugly-looking  machete^  or  cutlass, 
nearly  two  and  a  half  feet  long  and  two  inches  broad, 
which  serves  them  in  a  variety  of  ways.  There  we 
found  the  path  washed  into  deep,  cistern-like  cavities, 
down  which  we  descended  on  one  side  only  to  climb 
out  at  the  other.  After  much  hard  work  this  rough 
road  was  gone  over,  and  we  came  abruptly  upon  a 
plain  of  small  extent,  and,  looking  up,  saw  the  cone 
whose  side  we  fain  would  climb.  Straight  before  us 
was  the  trail  of  former  tourists,  which  climbed  directly 


340  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

up  the  mountain-side,  so  steep  it  seemed  impossible  to 
ascend  it.  There  was  no  vegetation  now  to  obstruct 
the  view.  All  about  us  the  plain  and  steep  acclivity 
was  covered  with  a  matted  carpet  of  coarse  grass. 
Immediately  above  us  towered  an  immense  rock,  so 
delicately  poised  and  so  far-jutting,  that  it  appeared 
ready  to  fall.  Undoubtedly,  the  next  earthquake  will 
dislodge  and  hurl  it  below,  to  join  its  fellows  that 
thickly  stud  the  plain  beneath.  For  an  hour  and  a 
half,  with  many  stops  for  breath,  we  mounted  up- 
ward, and  made  a  final  pause  beneath  the  rock  to 
gather  strength  to  meet  the  tempest  of  wind  that 
howled  above.  Here  my  taciturn  guide  pointed  out 
a  narrow  ledge  where  a  man  died  of  exhaustion,  and 
was  found  at  midnight  by  my  informant,  who  was 
sent  in  search  of  him,  on  his  knees,  with  his  face 
covered  with  his  hands. 

Imagine  an  immense  pyramid,  truncated  by  some 
internal  force  that  has  rent  the  sides  at  the  same  time, 
leaving  the  summit-plane  strewn  with  huge  rocks,  and 
reft  in  twain  by  a  mighty  chasm,  and  you  have  the 
Soufri^re  of  Guadeloupe  at  the  present  day.  We  fol- 
lowed a  narrow  path  over  sounding  rocks  that  told  of 
caverns  beneath,  and  entered,  through  a  great  portal 
formed  by  two  adjacent  rocks,  upon  a  plateau  cov- 
ered with  a  carpet  of  sphagnum  and  lycopodium, 
spangled  with  pink  blossoms,  wild  hemp,  and  yellow, 
trumpet-shaped  flowers.  Narrow  trails  crossed  and 
recrossed  this  little  track,  like  rivers  on  a  map.  It 
was  now  eleven  o'clock,  and  we  stopped  to  lunch  at 
the  portal, — for,  since  my  coffee,  I  had  not  tasted 
food  that  day,  —  then  pursued  our  way  across  the 
plateau.    We  reached  a  dark  chasm,  made  as  though 


ASCENT    OF    THE    GUADELOUPE    SOUFRIERE.     34I 


^^^^^^   --■■v^-- 

^ 

4^^^^^^^^j^>-C^^""^ ' 

.•^^^^&i^^^-^-5t-*.''V'>'>    ^-. 

M 

^^^^^'''-^i-^^^^^S?r?*'' '  *" 

m 

"^s 

fmr^        "^^mSf^ 

k^M" 

« 

■1^:     "'"'*'^^^ 

\ 

.-/:a|v'?rg-'"ivy 

f-    .<'^,                               ■   i    *■     ^       .                                                      ^^^^^B^^^^H 

mm^ 

'  '  1.  % 

^^^^\M^^^^^---^^^H 

w  4^ 

■k-^-«i.  rSlk  i^b>  .zM 

fldi^!fe?^^|^Hfe;L^i;  > .' j>^S[9^^^^M|^M 

k^' 

^=.  "^fe  "1  '^^^^ 

p^?'""  ■   ^  '>^^^^^^i^''^^^9iB^^H^^^b 

The  SoUFRIERE  of  pUADELOUPE. 

some  Titan  had  rent  the  solid  rock  asunder  —  so  deep 
that  we  could  not  see  the  bottom  of  the  dark  abyss 
until  we  stood  upon  a  narrow  bridge  of  rock  that 
spanned  the  central  space.  The  southern  end  is  a 
perpendicular  wall,  running  down  into  depths  the  eye 
cannot  penetrate.  From  a  fissure  near  its  base  arose 
blue  fumes  which  stained  the  face  of  the  cliff  a  long 
way  up,  as  though  away  down  in  the  earth's  center, 
where  the  Vulcans  are  at  work,  there  burned  a  very 
hot  coal  fire. 

We  crossed  the  bridge  and  scaled  the  opposite  cliff, 
and  were  greeted,  at  the  top,  with  loud  blasts   and 


342  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

snorts,  like  those  of  a  high-pressure  steamer,  and  vol- 
umes of  vapor  blown  in  our  faces.  Following  this,  I 
found  an  aperture  in  a  mound  of  stones,  sulphur-lined, 
only  a  few  inches  in  diameter,  through  which  was 
forced  a  column  of  steam  with  noises  so  loud  that  we 
could  not  hear  each  other  speak.  This  aperture  is  in 
the  center  of  a  desolate  area,  having  on  its  borders 
numerous  openings,  whence  issue  blasts  of  hot  air 
that  taint  the  atmosphere  for  many  feet  around.  I 
peered  into  one,  arched  like  an  oven,  and  it  was  like 
a  glimpse  into  the  arcana  of  nature,  —  into  the  min- 
iature palace  of  a  genie ^ — for  the  whole  interior  was 
encrusted  with  sulphur  crystals  glistening  like  yellow 
topaz ;  and  a  small  black  passage  led  down  into  un- 
known depths,  whence  issued  rumblings,  groans,  and 
grumblings.  Up  from  this  black  throat  came  such 
blasts  of  old  Vulcan's  fetid  breath,  that  I  was  glad  to 
escape  with  onl}'  a  few  crumbling  crystals  for  my 
pains.  Ravines  seam  the  sides  of  the  cone  in  every 
direction,  some  spanned  by  natural  bridges  of  rock ; 
but  that  to  which  I  constantly  recurred  was  that  cen- 
tral gorge,  with  its  wicked-looking  throat,  from  which 
there  have  been  two  eruptions  recorded — one  in  1797, 
the  other  in  181 5.  Doubtless  it  will  again,  at  some 
future  time,  act  as  the  vent  for  the  internal  ebullitions 
of  mother  earth. 

According  to  Humboldt,  the  summit  is  over  five 
thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  and  the  view  afforded 
me,  as  an  occasional  rift  occurred  in  the  masses  of 
mist,  was  grand  beyond  description.  Climbing  to  an 
elevated  rock,  I  obtained  shelter  from  the  terrific  gale 
that  nearly  swept  me  off  my  feet,  and  awaited  a  break 
in  the  cloud  of  mist.    It  came  :  I  looked  upon  a  scene 


ASCENT    OF    THE    GUADELOUPE    SOUFRIERE.      343 

well  worth  a  year  of  common  life  to  view.  Beneath 
me,  in  full  view,  were  those  six  islands  discovered  by 
Columbus  on  that  memorable  November  day  in  1493. 
Far  away,  east  by  north,  lay  Desirade,  the  first  land 
seen  by  Columbus  on  his  second  voyage,  a  low,  table- 
surfaced  rock.  South  by  east  lay  Dominica,  looking 
like  a  glorious  vision  of  cloud-land,  the  first  of  the 
Caribbees  at  which  Columbus  touched  ;  and  east,  right 
below,  the  island  of  Maricjalante,  where  first  in  this 
archipelago  the  royal  banner  of  Spain  was  displayed. 
I  looked  down  to  the  eastward,  over  a  sloping  plain 
of  verdure,  upon  forest  almost  as  impenetrable  and 
wide-spreading  as  on  that  day,  nearly  four  centuries 
ago,  when  it  resounded  to  the  blasts  of  trumpets  and 
the  firing  of  arquebuses.  For,  the  second  day  of  his 
arrival  here,  one  of  the  captains  of  the  great  admiral's 
fleet  strayed  into  the  forest  with  some  men  and  was 
lost.  For  several  days  they  wandered  in  trackless 
forest  so  dense  as  almost  to  exclude  the  light  of  day. 
"Some,  wlio  were  experienced  seamen,  climbed  the 
trees  to  get  a  sight  of  the  stars  by  which  to  govern 
their  course,  but  the  spreading  branches  and  thick 
foliage  shut  out  all  view  of  the  heavens."  A  party 
sent  in  search  wearied  themselves  in  wading  the  many 
streams,  which  number,  at  this  day,  more  than  fifty. 

Almost  under  the  cliffs  of  the  volcano  lay  the 
Saintes,  a  cluster  of  rocky  islets  discovered  on  All- 
Saints'  Day.  There  is  a  significance  and  poetic  mean- 
ing attached  to  every  name  bestowed  by  Columbus 
on  these  islands,  as  witness  those  already  mentioned. 
With  but  few  exceptions,  fortunately,  they  retain  his 
perfect  appellations.  Away  north  is  the  triple  crown 
of  Montserrat,  and  I  fancied  I  could  discover  the  dim 


344  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

outlines  of  St.  Kitts,  an  island  named  probably  for  the 
good  giant  who  bore  his  lord  aloft,  rather  than  for  the 
great  navigator  who  discovered  it.  Farther  yet,  and 
forty  miles  out  of  sight,  lies  St.  Eustatius,  where  the 
American  flag  was  first  saluted  by  a  foreign  power ; 
and  a  few  miles  beyond  is  Saba,  a  single  volcanic 
peak,  ending  on  the  north  this  chain  of  volcanic 
islands.  The  Virgin  Isles,  named  for  St.  Ursula  and 
her  ten  thousand  virgins,  yet  farther  lie  obscured. 
Nearer  is  Antigua,  but  low  and  dim.  The  curtains 
of  mist  again  drew  together,  and  I  prepared  to  de- 
scend. 

This  mountain  was  once  the  home  of  a  bird  of  ill- 
omen,  (described  in  former  pages,)  the  Diabloiin^ 
or  "Little  Devil,"  which  lived  in  holes  in  the  rocks, 
and  vvas  hunted  with  dogs  by  the  planters  in  olden 
time.  Its  discovery  was  my  principal  motive  for 
ascending  the  Soufriere  ;  but  I  returned  without  find- 
ing a  trace  of  its  existence.  Fatigued,  and  bathed 
in  perspiration,  I  arrived  at  the  hot  bath,  on  the  bor- 
ders of  the  high-woods,  and  plunged  into  its  limpid 
waters ;  but  half  an  hour's  immersion  in  its  tepid  cur- 
rent removed  every  trace  of  weariness,  and  I  floated 
blissfully  until  the  sinking  sun  warned  me  to  be  on 
the  march  again. 

Years  ago  —  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  —  there 
landed  upon  this  island  of  Guadeloupe,  Juan  Ponce 
de  Leon,  noblest  and  gentlest  of  all  those  old  con- 
quistadoresy  fresh  from  his  discovery  of  Florida.  But 
two  years  previously  he  had  sailed  in  quest  of  that 
wonderful  fountain  of  youth,  lured  on  by  the  tales  of 
the  Indians  of  Cuba.  And  who  knows  but  that  he  was 
still  seeking  that  fountain  of  rejuvenescence  when  he 


ASCENT    OF    THE    GUADELOUPE    SOUFRIERE.      345 

essayed  to  explore  these  wilds  and  met  with  disastrous 
defeat  from  the  Caribs?  I  have  floated  on  the  glassy 
surface  of  the  wonderful  spring  of  Wakulla,  in  Florida, 
and  one  winter's  day  sailed  down  the  bright  waters 
of  Silver  Spring,  and  do  not  wonder  that  the  simple 
natives  should  invest  these  mysterious  creations  with 
occult  power.  But  it  is  a  pity  that  the  old  Spaniard 
could  not  have  found  this  mountain  spring,  one  dip  in 
which  were  worth  a  month's  immersion  in  those  of 
Florida. 

A  velvet-backed  humming-bird  came  down  from 
the  odorous  banks  above  me  —  a  -tiny  bird,  with  a 
Latin  name  too  long  to  mention  here — and  danced 
in  the  sunlight,  his  garnet  throat  glowing  like  a  coal 
in  the  departing  beams,  as  I  bade  farewell  to  this 
enchanted  spot  and  descended  into  the  deep  gloom 
of  the  high-woods. 


APPENDIX. 


From  Proceedings  of  United  States  National 
Museum. 


A  General  Catalogue  of  tlie  Birds  noted  from  the  Islands  of  the 

Lesser  Antilles  7>isited  by  Frederick  A.  Ober  j  with  a   Table 

shoiving  their  Distribution,  and  those  found  in  the  United 

States. 

Bv  George  N.  Lawrence. 


Birds  of  the  Lessf.k  Antillhs. 


-3 

< 

O 

"i 
3 
O 

TuRDUS  NiGRiROSTRis,  Lawr  .    .   (   . 

TURDUS  CARIBB^US,  Lawr 

Turdus-' 

Margarops  herminieri  (Lafr. )  .  .  .  . 
Margarops  densirostris  (Vieiil.)  .  .  . 
Margarops  montanus(Vieili.)  .  .  .  . 
Rampliocinclus  brachyurus  (Vieiil.)  . 
Cinclocerthia  ruficauda,  Gould  .  .  . 
Cinclocerthia  gutturalis,  Lafr   .   .   .    . 

Mimus  gllvus,  Vieiil 

Myiadestes  gcnibarbis,  Sw 

Myiadestes  sibilans,  Lawr  .  .  . 
Thryothorus  rufescens,  Lawr.  . 
TuRYOTurRus  Musicus,  Lawr  .  .  . 
Thryothorus  grenadf.nsis,  Lawr 
Thryothorus  martinicensis,  Scl.  .   .   . 

Siurus  njevius  (Bodd.) 

Siurus  motacilla  (Vieiil.) 


X 


X 


X 


X 


X 


X 


X 


X 


X 


*  New  Species  in  small  capitals. 


X 


X 


X 


347 


X 

X  I 


X 


348  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

Catalogue  of  Birds.  —  Continued. 


Birds  of  the  Lesser  Antilles. 

•a 

s 

Xi 

« 

i 

C 
< 

i. 
§ 

3 
0 

.3 

Q 

i 

'S 

1 

c 

> 

c 

0 

8 

5 

I 

a 

13 

X 
X 

X 

X 

X 
X 

X 
X 

X 
X 

X 
X 

X 
X 
X 

X 
X 

X 

X 

X 
X 

X 

X 
X 

X 
X 
X 

X 
X 

X 

X 
X 

X 

X 
X 

X 

'9 

X 
X 

31 
33 

Dendroeca  petechia  var.  ruficapilla  (Gm.) 
Denurceca    petechia    var.    mklanop- 

X 

X 

23 

X 
X 

X 
X 

X 

X 
X 

X 

X 

X 
X 

X 

25 
36 
27 

VlREOSYLVIA  CALIDRIS  VAR.  DOMINICANA, 

38 

X 
X 

29 
30 

3« 

Certhiola  dominicana,  Taylor 

Certhiola  saccharina,  Lawr 

X 

X 

32 

X 
X 

33 

X 

X 

34 

3S 
36 

X 
X 
X 

X 
X 
X 

X 
X 
X 

X 
X 

X 
X 

37 
38 

Phonipara  bicolor  (Linn.) 

39 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 

X 

43 
43 
44 

X 

X 
X 

MviASCHUs  Oberi,  Lawr 

X 

46 
47 
48 

Blacicus  brunkeicapillus,  Lawr  .  .   . 

Tyrannus  rostratus,  Scl 

Tyrannus  melancholicus,  Vieill 

X 

X 

•    • 

X 
X 

49 

SO 
5« 

Eulampis  jugulnrix  (Linn.) 

Eulampis  holosericeus  (Linn.) 

X 

X 

X 
X 

X 
X 
X 
X 

X 

X 
X 

X 
X 

X 
X 

X 

X 

5* 
S3 
54 

a 

S6 

Orthorhynchiis  exilis  (Gm.) 

Orthorhynchus  ornatus,  Gould 

Orthorhynchus  cristaius  (Linn.)     .   .   .   . 

X 

X 

X 

S7 
S8 
S9 

Swift  »p.? 

.  , 

X 

.  . 

.  . 

APPENDIX. 
Catalogue  of  Birds.  —  Continued. 


349 


Birds  of  thb  Lesser  Antilles. 


a 


X 


X 


X 


X  \  X 


X    X 

X  !• . 


X 


X 


x|-  . 

X !  X 


Cypscloidcs  niger  (Gm.) 

Melancrpes  I'hcrminicri  (Less.) 

Ceiyle  alcyon  (Linn. ) 

Ceryle  lorqnata  (Linn.) 

Coccyzus  minor  (Gm.) 

Ciotophag.i  ani,  Linn 

Chrysotis  augusta  (Vig.) 

Chrysotis  guildingi  (Vig.) 

Parrot  sp.  ? 

Strix  fl.\m.me.\  v.\r.  nigrkscens,  Lawr. 

Speotyto  a.maur.\,  Lawr 

Pandion  lialixtns  (Linn.) 

B\iteo  pennsylvani(;us  (Wils.) '  X 

Uribitinga  antliracina  (Nitzsch.)? ....  i  X 

Falco  communis  var.  anatum,  Bp.  ?...     X|X      ....|..j.. 
Tinnunculus     sparvcrius    var.    antillanim  , 

(Gm.; X  :  X 

Fregat  I  aquiki  (Linn) XX  •• 

Phsthon  a;thereus  (Linn.) ,  .    .  X 

Ph.Tthon  flavirostris,  Br.  lu't ,  X     •    •  •    • 

Pelecanus  fuscus  (Linn) X      X  •   • 

Sula  fiber  (Linn.) ,  •    •  i •    •     •    •  i  X 

Ardca  herodias,  Linn XX  ••     ••XiXlX 

Herodias  cgretta  (Gm."i X     •    •  .    .  i  .    .     •    .  I  .    .  |  .   . 


X 


X 


XXX 


X 


Garzetta  candidissima  (Gm.) j  .   .     X     •   •     X 

Florida  ccerulea  (Linn.) .     X     •   •     X 

Butorides  virescens  (Linn.) jXiXlXX 

Nyctiardea  vio'acea  (Linn.) .     .    .     X  '  •    • 

PLatalea  ajaja  (Linn.) ..'..!.... 

Dafila  bahamensis  (Linn.) i  •    •  i  X  !  X     •   • 

Clangula  glaucion  (Linn. ) X 

Coliimba  corensis,  Gm , 

Colnmba  leucocepliala,  Linn    .... 

Zenaida  martinicana,  Bp 

Chama;pelia  passcrim  (Linn.)  .   .   .   , 

Geotrygon  montana  (L  nn.) 

Geotrygon  mystacea  (Tomm. )  .    .   .    , 

Numidia  meleagris  (Linn.) 

Ortyx  virginianus  (Linn.) 

Rallus  crepitans,  Gm 

Porzana? 


X  .  X 
X  X 
X  i  X 


X 


X 


Porphyrio  martinicus  (Linn.) .     .   .  |  X 

I         i         I 


X 


X 


•  •{  X  X 
••XX 
X  I  X  i  X 

•|X 

•    X 


X :  X 


X    X 


X 


X 
X 

X 


350 


CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

Catalogue  of  Birds.  —  Continued. 


tot 

I02 
103 
104 

105 

ic6 
107 
io3 
IC9 
110 
III 
112 
»I3 
«>4 
"5 
iiO 

"7 

II  i 
119 
120 
121 
123 
»-3 
'2* 
«25 
126 
127 


Biros  of  thk  Lesser  Antilles. 


X 


Gallinula  gnleatn  (Licht. ) 

Fulica? 

Squatarola  helvetica  (Linn.)     .... 

Characlrius  virginicus,  Borkh 

iEgialitis  semipalmata  ( Bp.)     .... 

Strepsilas  interpres  (Linn.) 

Himantopus  nigricoU.s  ( Vieill. )  .  .  . 
Callinago  wil:>oni  (Tcmm.)  ..... 
Tringa  minutlUa,  Vieill.     ...... 

Tringa  maculata  (Vieill.) 

Ca.idrisarcnaria  (Linn.) 

Lreunetcs  pctrificatus  (111.) 

Symphemia  semipalr.iata  (Gm  )  .   .   . 

Gambctu  flavipcs  (Gm.) 

G.'.mbetta  mclanoleuca  (Grn. )  .  .  .  . 
Khyacophilus  solitanus  (W.ls.)  .  .  . 
Tringoides  macularius  ( Linn. )     .   .    . 

Niimenius  longirostris  (Wils. ) ].   . 

Numcnius  hudsonicns(Lalh./ |  X 

Anous  stolidus  (Linn. ) 1  .   . 

Sterna  maxima,  Pod.' X 

Sterna  dougalli.  Mo.  t i  •   . 

Sterna  aniillarum  (L,s"..) . 

Sterna  fuliginosa  (Gm.) . 

Sterna  anxsthcta,  Seep I  .   . 

Larus  atricilla  (Linn. ) '  X 

-Estrelata? |  .   . 

Podilymbus  podiccps  (Linn.)? !  X 


X 


X 


X 


X 


X 


X 


X 


X 


X  I  X 

X 

X 


X 


X 


X 


X 


X 


X    X 


The  separate  catalogues  comprised  in  the  above  general  one  are 
all  published  in  the  "  Proceedings  of  the  United  States  National 
Museum,"  Washington,  Vol.  I.,  that  of  the  Birds  of  Dominica 
occupying  pp.  46-69;  that  of  St.  Vincent,  pp.  185-198;  those  of 
Antigua  and  Barbuda,  pp.  232-242  ;  that  of  Grenada,  pp.  265-278  ; 
that  of  Martinique,  pp.  349-360  ;  that  of  Guadeloupe,  pp.  449-462, 


New  York,  March  20,  1879. 


*  APPENDIX.  351 

[From  the  Annals  of  the  New  York  Academy  of  Sciences.] 
BY  GEORGE  N.  LAWRENCE. 

Description  of  New  Species  of  Birds.      Island 
OF  Dominica. 

An  exploration  of  some  of  the  least  known  of  the  West  India 
islands,  for  the  purpose  of  elucidating  their  natural  history,  has 
been  undertaken  by  Mr.  Fred.  A.  Ober,  of  Beverly,  Massachusetts, 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution. 

He  has  already  sent  every  species  heretofore  obtained  in  Domi- 
nica, with  twenty-three  additional  ones.  His  first  collection  consists 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  specimens,  embracing  thirty-one  species, 
three  of  which  I  consider  new  and  have  described  below.  Of  this 
collection  he  writes  as  follows  :  "  The  first  collection  was  made  in 
the  mountains  of  the  Caribbean  side  of  Dominica,  though  it  includes 
also  birds  of  the  lower  hills  and  valleys,  there  seeming  to  be  but  few 
kinds  of  the  low  lands  that  do  not  ascend  to  the  mountains  ;  though 
there  are  many  birds  of  the  mountains  and  upper  valleys  that  never 
descend  into  the  low  country  near  the  coast." 

Besides  the  three  species  of  humming-birds  well  known  as  inhab- 
itants of  the  island,  I  was  greatly  surprised  to  find  another  species 
in  the  collection,  viz.,  Tha/urajiia  IVag/eri,  of  which  there  are  seven 
specimens  — all  males.  The  only  locality  heretofore  given  for  it  is 
Brazil,  and  it  is  considered  rather  rare  ;  it  looks  now  as  if  its  head- 
quarters were  Dominica,  yet  it  seems  strange  that  none  are  recorded 
from  any  intermediate  place.  It  would  appear  to  be  not  uncommon, 
as  more  specimens  were  sent  than  o(  Enlaf/ipis  holosericeics  s.nd  Or- 
thorhyjic7is  exilis,  which  are  abundant  species.  EulatJtpis  jugularis 
was  sent  in  large  numbers.  On  the  label  of  one  of  the  examples  of 
T.  Wagleri  is,  "  Sulphur  lake,  2,300  feet  above  the  sea." 

The  second  collection  was  made  on  the  eastern  or  Atlantic  side 
of  the  island;  it  contains  eighty-two  specimens,  and  has  in  it  ten 
additional  species,  but  no  novelties.  There  are  two  specimens  of 
that  fine  and  rare  species  of  parrot,  Chrysotis  augtista. 

I.    Thryothorus  rufescens.     "Rosignol." 

Male.  Entire  plumage  rufous,  much  deeper  in  color  above,  of  a 
lighter  and  brighter  shade  underneath  ;  tail  dark  rufous,  regularly 
and  closely  crossed  with  narrow  bars  of  black ;  the  coloring  of  the 
under  part  of  the  tail  is  duller,  but  is  barred  in  a  similar  manner; 
inner  webs  of  quills  blackish-brown,  outer  webs  and  both  webs  of 


352  CAMPS   IN   THE   CARIBBEE^. 

the  innermost  secondaries  dark  rufous,  with  distinct  narrow  bars  of 
black  ;  upper  mandible  dark-brown,  the  under  yellowish-white  ;  feet 
pale  brown. 

Length,  4J  in. ;  wing,  2| ;  tail,  i|;  tarsus,  \\;  bill  from  front,  -j^  ; 
from  rictus,  |. 

Type  in  National  Museum,  Washington. 

2.  Dendrceca  -plumbea. 

Male.  The  whole  of  the  upper  plumage  is  dark  plumbeous ;  a 
narrow  white  line  extends  from  the  bill,  over  and  beyond  the  eye, 
and  there  is  a  wiiite  mark  on  the  lower  eyelid;  the  lores  are  black  ; 
the  under  plumage  is  of  a  lighter  plumbeous  than  that  of  the  upper; 
the  chin,  middle  of  the  throat  and  of  the  breast  intermixed  with 
white,  center  of  abdomen  white  ;  the  two  middle  tail-feathers,  and 
the  outer  webs  of  the  others,  are  like  the  back  in  color  ;  the  inner 
webs  are  blackish  slate-color ;  on  the  inner  web  of  the  outer  tail- 
feather,  at  the  end,  is  a  spot  of  white  ;  on  the  next  feather  is  a 
smaller  one,  and  the  next  two  have  only  a  terminal  edging  of  white  ; 
the  middle  and  greater  wing-coverts  have  their  outer  webs  of  the 
color  of  the  back,  and  their  inner  webs  black  ;  they  end  conspicu- 
ously with  white,  forming  two  bars  across  the  wings  ;  quills  with 
their  outer  webs  like  the  back,  and  their  inner  blackish  slate-color  ; 
under  wing-coverts  and  axillars  white  ;  upper  mandible  black,  the 
under  light  horn-color  ;    tarsi  and  toes  light  brown. 

Length  (skin),  5J  in.  ;  wing,  1^ ;  tail,  2\ ;  tarsus,  | ;  bill  from 
front,  '{^. 

The  female  is  above  of  a  dark  greenish  olive  ;  it  has  black  lores, 
with  a  white  stripe  over  the  eye  and  on  the  lower  eyelid,  just  as  in 
the  male  ;  below  it  is  of  a  much  lighter  or  grayish -olive,  the  chin, 
middle  of  the  throat  and  of  the  breast  mixed  with  pale  yellowish- 
white,  the  middle  of  the  abdomen  is  pale  yellow ;  the  ends  of  the 
wing-coverts,  the  under  wing-coverts,  and  the  axillars,  are  white, 
with  just  a  tinge  of  yellow  ;  the  spots  at  the  ends  of  the  tail-feathers, 
as  in  the  male,  but  less  distinct ;  bill  and  feet  of  the  same  color  as 
those  of  the  male. 

Types  in  National  Museum,  Washington. 

3.    Vircosylvia  calidris,  var.  Dominicana. 
[Dominica  Catalogue,  p.  55.] 


APPENDIX.  353 

4.  Myiarchus  Oberi.     "Sunset  Bird." 

Male.  Pileum*nape,  and  sides  of  the  head  dark  umber-brown, 
upper  plumage  dark  olive-brown,  upper  tail-coverts  edged  with  dull 
ferruginous  ;  two  middle  tail-feathers  blackish  brown,  the  other  feath- 
ers are  colored  the  same,  except  on  the  outer  two-thirds  of  the  inner 
webs,  where  they  are  bright  ferruginous ;  outer  web  of  lateral  feather 
and  ends  of  .the  others,  ash  color  ;  quills  brownish  black,  the  prima- 
ries narrowly  edged  with  dark  ferruginous;  the  outer  secondaries 
are  margined  witli  very  pale  rufous,  and  the  other  secondaries  with 
pale  yellowish  white  ;  wing-coverts  dark-brown,  ending  with  pale 
ashy  tinged  with  rufous  ;  under  wing-coverts  pale,  dull  yellow,  inner 
margins  of  quills  light  salmon-color;  lores,  throat,  upper  part  of 
breast,  and  sides,  clear  bluish-gray,  lower  part  of  breast,  abdomen, 
and  under  tail-coverts,  pale  yellow ;  bill  and  feet  deep  black. 

Length,  8|  in.  ;  wing,  3^  ;  tail,  3|  ;  tarsus,  | ;  bill  from  front,  ^f. 

The  female  does  not  differ  in  plumage  from  the  male. 

Types  in  National  Museum,  Washington. 

Remarks.  This  is  a  large  species,  exceeding  M.  critiitus  in 
size  ;  the  fourth  quill  is  longest,  the  third  and  fifth  nearly  as  long, 
and  equal  ;-the  bill  is  large  and  strong,  and  of  a  deep  black  through- 
out ;  the  upper  plumage  is  dark,  much  like  that  of  M.  tyraiiniiltts, 
but  is  even  darker. 

In  the  collection  are  seven  specimens.  They  agree  closely  in  plu- 
mage ;  two  only  differ  from  the  type  in  the  dimensions  of  the  wing, 
one  having  it  three  and  three-quarters,  and  the  other  four  inches  in 
length. 

Mr.  E.  C.  Taylor  (Ibis,  1864)  records  a  ?,^tc\t?,oi  Myiarchus  from 
Dominica,  which  was  for  a  good  while  undetermined.  In  a  List  of 
Birds  from  St.  Lucia,  given  by  Mr.  Sclater  (P.  Z.  S.,  1871,  p.  271),  he 
refers  it  to  M.  erythrocercus. 

I  have  a  specimen  of  this  species  from  Bahia  (verified  by  Mr.  Scla- 
ter) ;  on  comparison  I  find  the  two  birds  to  differ  very  decidedly. 

M.  erythrocercus  is  smaller ;  above  it  is  of  a  lighter  brown,  more 
ochreous,  especially  on  the  crown  ;  the  bill  is  weaker  and  more 
depressed  ;  they  are  somewhat  alike  in  the  coloration  of  the  tail- 
feathers,  but  the  line  of  contact  of  the  two  colors  is  more  decided 
in  M.  Oberi. 

I  do  not  determine  that  this  is  the  same  as  the  species  obtained 
by  Mr.  Taylor ;  possibly  the  two  forms  may  exist  in  Dominica. 

I  have  named  this  species  in  compliment  to  Mr.  Fred.  A.  Ober, 
who  has  so  industriously  worked  up  the  avifauna  of  Dominica. 

23 


354  CAMPS   IN   THE   CARIBBEES. 


5.  Blacicus  hrunneica-pillus. 

Blacicus  Blancoi,  Lawr.,  nee  Gundlach. 

Male.  The  plumage  above  is  of  a  clear  olive-brown,  assuming 
an  ochreous  cast  on  the  rump ;  the  .crown  is  of  a  much  darker 
brown,  forming  a  decided  cap ;  tail  and  quill-feathers  brownish- 
black  ;  the  tertials  are  edged  with  very  pale  fulvous ;  the  throat  is 
gray  with  just  a  tinge  of  fulvous  on  the  lower  part ;  middle  of 
breast,  abdomen,  and  under  wing-coverts  reddish-pchreous,  under 
tail-coverts  of  the  same  color,  but  paler ;  sides  of  the  breast  oliva- 
ceous ;  upper  mandible  black,  the  under  pale  yellowish-white ;  tarsi 
and  toes  brownish-black. 

Length  (fresh),  sf  inches  ;  wings,  2| ;  tail,  2| ;  tarsus,  |. 

Habitat,  Dominica.  Mr.  Ober  says  :  "  Everywhere  abundant  m 
the  ravines  and  dark  valleys  of  the  mountains." 

Type  in  National  Museum,  Washingfton. 

Remarks.  In  "A  Provisional  List  of  the  Birds  of  Dominica," 
published  in  'Forest  and  Stream,'  December  6,  1877,  this  bird  was 
put  as  Blacicus  Blancoi,  Gundlach.  Wishing  to  make  a  comparison 
with  the  type,  I  desired  Dr.  Gundlach  to  loan  it  to  me  for  that  pur- 
pose, with  which  request  he  kindly  complied.  The  specimen  was 
received  quite  recently,  and  I  found  that,  though  closely  allied,  the 
two  birds  are  quite  distinct. 

B.  Blancoi  is  from  Porto  Rico ;  the  specimen  sent  is  mounted, 
and  is  of  somewhat  smaller  dimensions  than  the  bird  from  Domin- 
ica ;  the  wing  measures  2\  inches  ;  the  tail,  i\  ;  the  tarsus,  ^.  The 
crown  is  olive-brown,  which  color  gradually  merges  into  the  greenish- 
olive  of  the  back  and  rump.  In  the  new  species  the  crown  is  deep 
brown,  and  the  upper  plumage  olive-brown  ;  it  also  differs  in  having 
the  throat  gray,  which  in  the  other  is  light  fulvous ;  the  color  of  the 
abdomen  is  rather  paler  than  it  is  in  B.  Blancoi.  ■ 

In  another  specimen  of  the  new  species,  a  female,  "in  young  of 
the  year  plumage,"  the  feathers  of  the  wings  and  back  are  strongly 
marked  with  rufous,  yet  the  upper  plumage  is  as  decidedly  brown  as 
in  the  adult,  and  the  throat  gray. 

6.  Strix  jlammea^  var.  titgrescens* 
[Dominica  Catalogue,  p.  64.] 


APPENDIX.  355 

7.    CkcBtura  Dominicana.     "  Hirondelle.*' 

ChcEiura  poliura,  Lawr.  (nee  Temm.),  Proc.  U.  S.  National  Museum, 

page  62. 

Male,  Upper  plumage  smoky-black ;  lores  black ;  rump  dark 
ash  ;  upper  tail-coverts  brownish-black,  just  edged  with  whitish  ;  tail 
glossy  black,  the  spines  fine  and  projecting  for  nearly  a  quarter  of 
an  inch  ;  wings  glossy  black  ;  throat  dark  grayish-ash  ;  breast  and 
abdomen  of  a  warm  smoky-brown  ;  under  tail-coverts  brownish- 
black  ;  bill  black  ;  feet  yellowish-brown. 

Length  (fresh),  4f  inches  ;  wing,  4^  ;  tail,  i-|. 

The  female  is  similar  to  the  male  in  plumage. 

Habitat,  Dominica. 

Types  in  National  Museum,  Washington. 

Remarks.  In  my  Catalogue  of  the  Birds  of  Dominica  (Proc.  U. 
S.  Nat.  Mus.  1878),  I  referred  this  species  provisionally  to  C.  poli- 
ura,  Temm.,  being  partly  induced  to  do  so  because  that  species  was 
noted  from  Tobago,  comparatively  a  not  very  distant  point.  I  then 
stated  that  it  agreed  quite  well  with  the  measurements  given  of  that 
species  by  Mr.  Sclater,  in  his  Notes  of  the  Cypselidas  (Proc.  Zool. 
Soc,  1865,  p.  593),  but  that  the  wing  was  shorter.  The  measure- 
ment of  3|  inches,  given  by  me,  was  taken  from  Mr.  Ober's  note,  and 
is  clearly  an  error,  as,  in  the  four  specimens  sent,  the  wings  of  each 
measure  4^  inches. 

Quite  lately  I  received  a  collection  made  in  Tobago  by  Mr.  Ober, 
and  found  in  it  an  example  of  C.  brachyura,  Jard.,  which  Mr.  Sclater 
says,  "  Does  not  seem  to  be  decidedly  different  from  C.  politcra, 
Temm.,  although  the  tail  is  rather  shorter  and  the  upper  coverts  are 
much  produced,  so  as  to  reach  nearly  to  the  end  of  the  rectrices." 
In  Mr.  Ober's  example  from  Tobago,  the  upper  coverts  reach  quite 
to  the  end  of  the  tail-feathers. 

The  species  from  Dominica  is  very  distinct,  and  I  think  is  unde- 
scribed.  The  Tobago  bird  is  blacker  above,  and  has  the  abdomen 
also  black  ;  it  is  at  once  distinguished  by  its  light  ashy  upper  tail- 
coverts. 

The  only  other  species  requiring  notice,  if  it  really  does,  is  the 
Hirundo  acuta,  Gm.,  from  Martinique,  which  does  not  seem  to  be 
recognized  by  late  writers,  and  is  not  noticed  by  Mr.  Sclater  in  his 
Notes  of  the  Cypselidas.  The  locahty  given  for  it,  Martinique,  is 
what  has  induced  me  to  allude  to  it. 

Gmelin's  name  is  based  upon  the  "  Sharp-tailed   Swallow "   of 


356  CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 

Latham,  who  gives  the  size  as  that  of  a  wren,  "  length  three  inches 
and  eight  lines;"  he  cites  Buffon  and  Brisson.  It  is  "  L'Hiron- 
delle  noire  acutipenne  de  la  Martinique  "  of  Buffon,  PI.  Enl.,  No. 
544.  He  describes  it  as  being  very  small,  the  size  of  a  wren,  the 
lengtli  3  inches  and  8  lines  ;  the  whole  upper  part  of  the  body  with- 
out exception  black,  etc.,  the  wings  extending  beyond  the  tail  eight 
lines.  Boddaert  refers  this  to  H.  pelasgia,  Linn.,  but  they  do  not 
agree  in  size  or  color. 

8.  Dendroeca  -petechia^  var.  melanoptera, 

[Guadeloupe  Catalogue,  p.  453.] 

9.  .^utscalus  Guadelotipensis. 
[Guadeloupe  Catalogue,  p.  457.] 

New  Species  of  Owl,  from  Antigua. 
10.    Speotyto  a7naura. 

"  Owl.     Length,  $ ,  8^  in. ;  alar  extent,  21^  ;  wing,  6f. 

"  Length,  9  ,  8^  in. ;   alar  extent,  21  ;  wing,  6^. 

"  Iris  bright  yellow.  Called  here,  'coo  coo,'  from  its  hoot  at  night. 
I  considered  it  for  a  time  as  almost  mythical,  reports  concerning  its 
existence  were  so  conflicting.  Some  described  it  as  a  large  Bat, 
others  asserted  that  it  was  (judging  from  the  size  of  its  eyes)  as  large 
as  a  'Guinea Bird' ;  all  agreed  that  it  was  a  night-bird,  that  it  lived 
in  old  drains,  holes  in  the  cliffs,  and  ruined  walls  :  and  that  its  hoot 
would  strike  terror  to  the  stoutest  heart. 

"  Like  its  congener  of  Dominica,  it  has  a  bad  name  ;  and  though 
it  may  not  be  called  here,  as  in  Dominica,  the  '  Jumbie  Bird,'  or  bird 
of  evil  spirits,  —  the  name  implies  more  than  that,  —  still  it  has  the 
reputation  of  being  a  bad  character.  The  blacks  declare  that  it  will 
not  hesitate  to  tear  the  eyes  out  of  any  individual  unfortunate  enough 
to  meet  it  at  night.  'Me  rudder  see  de  debbil,  any  time,'  is  their 
forcible  way  of  testifying  to  the  powers,  supernatural  and  otherwise, 
possessed  by  this  poor  owl.  Finding  it  impossible  to  shoot  one,  I 
offered  a  reward  of  two  shillings  for  the  first  owl  brought  me,  and 
within  three  hours  had  three  living  birds  which  the  men  dug  out  of 
a  cliff  in  the  Chalk-hills.  One  that  I  kept  two  days  gave  frequent 
utterance  to  a  chattering  cr)%  especially  if  any  one  approached,  but  it 
did  not  hoot.     It  feeds  upon  lizards  and  mice,  it  is  said." 

Male.  Upper  plumage  of  a  fine  deep  brown  color,  marked  with 
roundish  spots  of  light  fulvous ;  the  spots  are  smallest  on  the  crown, 


APPENDIX.  357 

hind  neck,  and  smaller  wing-coverts  ;  they  are  conspicuously  large 
on  the  other  wing-coverts,  tlie  dorsal  region,  scapulars,  and  tertials  ; 
the  quills  are  blackish-brown  with  indented  marks  of  pale  reddish 
fulvous  on  the  outer  webs  of  the  primaries,  and  large  roundish  paler 
spots  on  the  inner  webs  ;  under  wing-coverts  reddish  fulvous,  sparse- 
ly mottled  with  black  ;  tail  dark  brown,  of  the  same  color  as  the 
back,  crossed  with  four  bars  (including  the  terminal  one),  of  light 
reddish  fulvous,  which  do  not  quite  reach  the  shaft  on  each  web; 
bristles  at  the  base  of  the  bill  black,  with  the  basal  portion  of  their 
shafts  whitish  ;  front  white,  superciliary  streak  pale  fulvous  ;  cheeks 
dark  brown,  the  feathers  tipped  with  fulvous  ;  upper  part  of  throat 
pale  wliitish  buff,  the  lower  part  grayish-white,  with  a  buffy  tinge, 
separated  by  a  broad  band  of  dark  brown  across  the  middle  of  the 
throat,  the  feathers  of  which  are  bordered  with  light  fulvous  ;  the 
sides  of  the  neck  and  the  upper  part  and  sides  of  the  breast  are  dark 
brown,  like  the  back,  the  feathers  ending  with  fulvous,  the  spots 
being  larger  on  the  breast  ;  the  feathers  of  the  abdomen  are  pale 
fulvous,  conspicuously  barred  across  their  centers  with  dark  brown  ; 
on  some  of  the  feathers  the  terminal  edgings  are  of  the  same  color; 
the  flanks  are  of  a  clear  light  fulvous,  with  bars  of  a  lighter  brown  ; 
under  tail-coverts  fulvous,  with  indistinct  bars  of  brown  ;  thighs 
clear  fulvous,  with  nearly  obsolete  narrow  dusky  bars  ;  the  feathers 
of  the  tarsi  are  colored  like  the  thighs  and  extend  to  the  toes;  bill 
clear  light  yellow,  with  the  sides  of  the  upper  mandible  blackish  ; 
toes  dull  yellowish-brown. 

Length  (fresh),  8^  in.  ;  wing,  6f ;  tail,  3|  ;  tarsus,  i|. 
The  female  differs  but  little  from  the  male  in  plumage  ;  the  bars 
on  the  abdomen  appear  to  be  a  httle  more  strongly  defined,  and  at  the 
base  of  the  culmen  is  a  small  red  spot.     There  are  two  females  in 
the  collection,  the  other  also  having  the  red  spot ;  in  one  the  tarsi 
are  feathered  to  the  toes,  in  the  other  only  for  two-diirds  their  length. 
Length  of  one  (fresh),  8  in. ;  wing,  6^  ;   tail,  2| ;  tarsus,  i^. 
Length  of  the  other,  8^  ;  wing,  6^  ;  tail,  3  ;  tarsus,  i^. 
Mr.  Ridgway  suggested  a   comparison  with  his  S.  guadelojipen- 
S2S,  the  tj'pe  of  which  belongs  to  the  Boston  Natural  History  Society, 
and  by  the  courtesy  of  Dr.  Brewer  I  have  been  able  to  make  it. 

Compared  with  giiadelonpeiisis,  the  prevailing  color  is  dark  brown, 
instead  of  a  rather  light  earthy-brown,  and  the  spots  on  the  inter- 
scapular region  are  much  larger  ;  it  is  more  strikingly  barred  below, 
the  other  having  the  breast  more  spotted  ;  the  bars  on  the  tail  are 
four  instead  of  six.  In  the  Antigua  bird  each  feather  of  the  breast 
is  crossed  with  but  one  bar,  while  those  of  the  other  are  crossed 
with  two. 


358  CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 

11.  Myiarchus  Sclaleri, 
[Martinique  Catalogue,  p.  357.] 

Descriptions  of  Seven  New  Species  of  Birds  from 
THE  Island  of  St.  Vincent,  West  Indies. 

When  Mr.  Ober  had  completed  his  investigations  in  Dominica  he 
proceeded  to  St.  Vincent ;  but  unfortunately,  while  there,  he  had  two 
attacks  of  fever,  one  early  in  October,  from  which  he  soon  recovered, 
but  in  December  he  had  a  relapse  ;  by  this  he  was  completely  pros- 
trated, and  it  was  not  until  the  end  of  January  that  he  was  convales- 
cent. 

There  were  also  constant  rains,  and  consequently  his  collecting  was 
seriously  interfered  with.  He  thinks,  however,  that  the  specimens 
obtained,  and  the  birds  observed,  complete  quite  thoroughly  the  avi- 
fauna of  the  island. 

He  left  for  the  island  of  Grenada  about  the  ist  of  March,  at 
which  time  he  forwarded  to  the  Smithsonian  the  collection  made  in 
St.  Vincent.  There  are  only  ninety  specimens,  representing  thirty- 
five  species  ;  seven  of  these  I  consider  new  to  science,  and  their 
descriptions  are  given  below.  Besides  the  species  sent,  lie  enumer- 
ates twenty-four  others,  which  he  either  saw,  or  had  named  to  him 
as  undoubtedly  frequenting  the  island :  making  the  total  number 
fifty-nine. 

12.  Turdus   nigrirostris. 

Female.  Front,  crown,  and  occiput  dark  warm  brown,  each 
feather  of  the  crown  and  occiput  with  a  shaft-stripe  of  dull  pale  rufous ; 
upper  plumage  reddish  olivaceous  brown,  deeper  in  color  on  the 
upp)er  part  of  the  back  and  on  the  wing-coverts ;  the  latter  have 
their  ends  marked  with  small  spots  of  bright  rufous,  which  p)Ossibly 
may  be  an  evidence  of  the  example  not  being  fully  mature  ;  the  tail 
is  of  a  dark  warm  brown,  the  shafts  black  ;  inner  webs  of  quills  black- 
ish-brown ;  the  outer  webs  reddish-brown,  of  the  same  color  as  the 
tail-feathers  ;  the  shafts  are  glossy-black  ;  under  lining  of  wings 
clear  cinnamon  red  ;  under  plumage  light  brownish  ash,  with  the 
middle  of  the  abdomen  and  the  crissum  white  ;  on  the  upper  part  of 
the  breast  a  few  feathers  end  with  dark  reddish -brown,  forming  an 
irregular  narrow  band  ;  the  throat  unfortunately  is  soiled  with  blood, 
but  as  well  as  I  can  judge,  it  has  stripes  colored  like  the  breast,  and  the 
feathers  edged  with  whitish  ;  the  thighs  are  dull  fulvous  ;  the  bill  is 


APPENDIX.  359 

large  and  strong,  the  upper  mandible  is  black,  the  under  also,  but 
showing  a  brownish  tinge  ;  tarsi  and  toes  dark  brown. 

Length  (fresh),  g}  in. ;  wing,  4J ;  tail,  3^  ;  tarsus,  i^ ;  bill  from 
front,  |. 

Type  in  National  Museum,  Washington. 

Remarks.  There  is  but  one  specimen  in  the  collection  ;  in  the 
section  {Platiesticus)  which  this  species  comes  under,  the  sexes  do 
not  differ. 

In  the  distribution  of  colors  on  the  under  plumage,  it  is  much  like 
T.  albiventris,  but  the  color  of  the  breast  and  sides  is  darker,  and 
the  upper  plumage  is  of  a  much  deeper  and  richer  brown.  The 
strong  black  bill  is  a  striking  feature. 

Mr.  Obersays:  "Not  abundant;  obtained  in  Rutland  Vale,  Janu- 
ary 25,  1878." 

13.  Mytadestes  sibilans.     "  Soufriere  Bird." 

The  upper  plumage  is  black ;  the  front,  lores,  and  sides  of  the 
head  for  a  short  distance  under  the  eye,  are  intense  black  ;  the 
crown,  occiput,  hind  neck  and  ear  coverts  are  deep  black  ;  the  upper 
part  of  the  back  is  not  quite  so  deep  in  color,  as  it  has  a  slight 
smoky  tinge  ;  the  lower  part  of  the  back,  rump,  and  upper  tail-cov- 
erts have  a  wash  of  dull  olivaceous,  the  latter  terminate  with  black ; 
the  ear-coverts  have  tlieir  shafts  narrowly  streaked  with  white,  less 
striking  than  in  Af.  gefiidarbis ;  the  lower  eyelid  is  pure  white  ;  the 
chin  and  the  anterior  part  of  the  rictal  stripe  are  white,  the  posterior 
part  of  the  latter  is  cinnamon-red  ;  a  very  distinct  black  moustachial 
line  starts  from  the  under  mandible,  and  joins  the  black  of  the  side 
of  the  neck,  separating  the  rictal  stripe  from  the  bright  cinnamon- 
red  color  of  the  throat ;  the  breast  and  upper  part  of  the  abdomen 
are  of  a  clear  plumbeous  gray  ;  the  middle  and  lower  part  of  the 
abdomen  and  the  under  tail-coverts  are  of  a  rather  paler  cinnamon- 
red  tlian  the  throat  ;  the  thighs  are  blackish  plumbeous,  some  of  the 
feathers  ending  with  light-red  ;  the  quills  are  black,  the  edge  of  the 
wing  and  bases  of  the  quill-feathers  are  white  ;  the  tail-feathers, 
except  the  outer  two,  are  brownish  slate-color,  marked  transversely 
with  black  bars,  which  are  not  very  conspicuous  ;  the  first  lateral 
feather  has  the  inner  web  grayish-white,  with  a  blackish  diagonal 
mark  at  the  base,  the  outer  web  is  black  for  one  quarter  of  its  length 
from  the  base,  the  remaining  part  of  a  dusky  ash-color  ;  the  second 
feather  is  blackish,  except  that  it  has  for  half  its  length,  on  the  inner 
web,  an  elongated  white  mark  along  the  shaft,  widening  out  to  the 


360  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

end  ;  the  bill  is  black  ;  tarsi  and  toes  very  pale  yellow,  claws  black ; 
"iris  bright  hazel." 

Lengtli  (fresh),  7^  in.  ;  wing,  3f  ;  tail,  3  ;  tarsus,  I. 

The  sexes  do  not  differ  in  plumage. 

Types  in  National  Museum,  Washington. 

Remarks.  This  differs  from  all  the  West  India  species  in  its 
black  upper  plumage.  The  color  of  the  throat  is  much  lighter  than 
in  M.  genibarbis  and  solitarius ;  in  both  of  these  the  color  is  of  a 
deep  chestnut  red  ;  it  has  the  black  moustachial  line  as  in  M.  geni- 
barbis,  but  it  is  more  defined. 

M.  arviillatiis  (according  to  the  description  and  plate)  differs  in 
being  of  a  lighter  color  above,  slate-gray  {qris  ardoise) ;  in  having 
the  red  of  the  under  plumage  darker,  brownish-red  {brun  roux) ;  it 
has  no  moustachial  line,  and  the  eye  is  encircled  with  white  ;  but  it 
varies  especially  in  having  the  feathers  of  the  thigh  terminating  in 
bright  yellow. 

Mr.  Ober  writes  :  "  This  bird  has  been  an  object  of  search  for  fifty 
years,  and  has  so  long  eluded  the  vigilance  of  naturalists  and  visitors 
to  the  mountains,  that  it  is  called  llie  '  invisible  bird.'  From  being 
seen  only  on  the  Soufriere  Mountain,  it  has  acquired  the  name  of 
*  Soufriere-bird.' " 

Mr.  Ober  is  entitled  to  great  credit  for  unraveling  the  mystery 
connected  with  this  bird.  By  his  indomitable  perseverance,  and 
camping  out  on  tlie  top  of  the  mountain  for  several  days,  he  secured 
seven  specimens. 

14.    Thryothorus  viusicus.     "Wall-Bird." 

Male.  Above  of  a  dark  ferruginous,  somewhat  darker  on  the 
crown  and  brighter  on  the  rump;  lores,  and  a  line  running  back  from 
the  eye,  white  tinged  with  rufous  ;  the  exposed  portions  of  the  wings 
ara  dark  rufous,  conspicuously  barred  with  black  ;  the  inner  webs 
of  tlie  primaries  are  blackish-brown  ;  under  wing-coverts  white ;  the 
tail-feathers  are  dark-rufous,  barred  with  black  ;  the  entire  back  and 
upper  tail-coverts  are  marked  inconspicuously  with  narrow  trans- 
verse dusky  lines  ;  the  feathers  of  the  rump  have  concealed  white 
shaft-stripes,  which  become  wider  toward  the  ends  of  the  feathers; 
the  feathers  of  tlie  back,  also,  have  the  basal  portion  of  their  shafts 
marked  with  white  ;  the  throat,  breast,  and  middle  of  the  abdomen 
are  white,  the  latter  tinged  with  rufous  ;  the  sides  are  light  ferrugi- 
nous ;  the  under  tail-coverts  are  rufous,  each  feather  marked  with 
a  subterminal  round  black  sf)ot  ;  upper  mandible  black  ;  the  under 
whitish,  with  the  end  dusky;  tarsi  and  toes  light  brownish  flesh-color. 


APPENDIX.  361 

Length  (fresh),  5^  in.  ;  wing,  2 J  ;  tail,  i\l  ;  tarsus,  f. 

There  are  three  male  specimens  in  the  collection,  but  no  female  j 
one  example  is  evidently  not  mature  ;  in  this,  the  white  dorsal  and 
rump  spots  are  wanting,  and  tlie  crissum  is  immaculate  ;  the  sides 
are  dull  rufous,  the  under  plumage  is  tinged  with  rufous,  and  marked 
widi  faint  narrow,  dusky  bars.     This  specimen  was  killed  February, 

Types  in  National  Museum,  Washington. 

Remarks.  In  its  white  under  plumage,  this  species  somewhat 
resembles  7".  mesoleiiciis^  Scl.,  from  St.  Lucia  ;  but  it  is  bright  rufous 
above,  instead  of  earthy-brown,  and  the  flanks  are  light  ferruginous 
instead  of  fulvous  :  it  is  also  of  larger  dimensions.  The  transverse 
markings  on  the  back,  and  the  round  black  spots  on  the  crissum,  are 
strong  characteristics. 

Mr.  Ober  states  that  it  is  common,  and  is  known  as  the  "  House 
wren  "  and  "Wall  bird,"  breeding  in  holes  in  houses  and  trees.  He 
says  :  "The  sweet  warble  of  this  lively  little  bird  may  be  heard 
morning,  noon,  and  night,  about  the  houses  and  sugar  mills,  as  well 
as  far  up  the  mountain-sides  and  valleys." 

15.    Certhiola  atrata. 

Male.  The  entire  plumage  is  black  ;  on  the  head  and  throat  it 
is  of  a  deeper  color  ;  the  breast,  upper  part  of  abdomen,  and  rump, 
on  a  side  view,  show  a  just  perceptible  tinge  of  greenish  olive ;  bill 
and  feet  black. 

Length  (fresh),  4|  in.  ;  wing,  2|- ;  tail,  i|;  tarsus,  |. 

The  female  differs  only  in  being  smaller. 

Length  (fresh),  4  in.  ;  wing,  2|- ;  tail,  i|-  ;  tarsus,  |. 

Types  in  National  Museum,  Washington. 

Remarks.  This  is  certainly  a  remarkable  departure  from  the  reg- 
ular pattern  of  coloration,  which  prevails  so  uniformly  in  this  genus. 
Had  there  been  only  a  single  example,  I  should  have  considered  it 
as  probably  a  case  of  abnormal  coloring ;  but  it  seems  to  be  the 
representative  form  of  the  genus  in  this  island.  Mr.  Ober  says  it  is 
very  abundant,  and  "seems  to  have  almost  entirely  replaced  the 
black  and  yellow  one  of  Dominica,"  &c.  He  has  sent  four  speci- 
mens, two  of  each  sex.  But  what  is  surprising  is,  that  there  is  like- 
wise found  in  St.  Vincent  a  species  of  the  usual  style  of  coloration, 
of  which  he  sends  but  two  specimens,  stating  that  it  is  not  abun- 
dant.    This  I  have  described  as  a  new  species  also. 


$62  CAMPS    IN    THE    CARIBBEES. 

i6.   Certhiola  saccharina.     "  Molasses  Bird." 

Female.  Crown,  occiput,  lores,  and  sides  of  the  head  glossy 
black  ;  back  of  a  dull  {grayish  or  smoky  black  ;  rump  dull  greenish- 
yellow  ;  a  very  conspicuous  white  superciliary  stripe  runs  from  the 
bill  to  the  hind  neck ;  tail  black,  the  first  two  lateral  feathers  have  a 
small  patch  of  dull  white  on  their  inner  webs  at  the  end,  the  third 
feather  has  the  end  narrowly  white  ;  wings  black,  with  a  white  patch 
at  the  base  of  the  primaries  ;  these  have  their  outer  webs  narrowly 
margined  with  white  ;  edge  of  wing  light  yellow  ;  under  wing-coverts 
white ;  throat  dark  plumbeous,  breast  and  upper  part  of  abdomen, 
clear  light  yellow,  the  sides  and  lower  part  of  the  abdomen  are  light 
ashy-olive,  under  tail-coverts  yellowish-white  ;   bill  and  feet  black. 

Length  (fresh),  4^  in. ;  wings,  2\  ;  tail,  i  ^^  ;  tarsus,  |.  Two  speci- 
mens are  in  the  collection  ;  one,  marked  (J,  has  the  plumage  greatly 
soiled ;  the  other  is  marked  as  a  $  with  a  ? ;  this  I  have  taken  for 
the  type,  the  plumage  being  in  a  much  better  condition. 

The  male  measvu"es,  length,  \\  in.  ;  wing,  2\  ;  tail,  \\ ;  tarsu.s,  \. 

Types  in  National  Museum,  Washington. 

Remarks.  This,  in  appearance,  comes  nearest  to  C.  Portoricen- 
st's,  but  differs  in  the  superciliary  stripe  being  wider  and  extending 
farther  back,  in  the  throat  being  many  shades  darker  in  color,  in 
having  the  flanks  of  a  darker  olive,  and  the  yellow  on  the  rump 
darker  and  duller.  The  color  of  the  breast  and  rump  in  C.  Fortori- 
censis  is  of  a  deeper  yellow. 

17.    JLeuco-peza  Btshopt, 

Male.  The  general  plumage  is  smoky-black,  rather  darker  on  the 
head  ;  the  sides  are  blackish  cinereous  ;  a  circle  of  pure  white  sur- 
rounds the  eye ;  a  large  roundish  spot  on  the  middle  of  the  throat, 
the  upper  part  of  the  breast,  and  the  middle  of  the  abdomen,  are 
dull  white,  somewhat  mixed  with  blackish  on  the  throat  and  with 
cinereous  on  the  abdomen  ;  a  very  small  spiot  on  the  chin,  and  the 
tips  of  the  feathers  on  the  upper  part  of  the  throat,  are  dull  white  ; 
the  black  on  the  upper  part  of  the  breast  has  the  appearance  of  a 
broad  band,  separating  the  white  of  the  throat  from  that  of  the  lower 
part  of  the  breast ;  the  under  tail-coverts  are  cinereous-black  at  base, 
ending  largely  with  dull  white  ;  wings  and  tail  black,  the  outer  two 
tail-feathers  have  a  small  white  spot,  triangular  in  shape,  on  their 
inner  webs  at  the  end  ;  bill  black  ;  tarsi  and  toes  very  pale  yel- 
lowish-brown, p>erhaps  much  lighter  colored  in  the  living  bird,  nails 
ako  pale. 


APPENDIX.  363 

Length  (fresh),  55  in.  ;  wing,  2|  ;  tail,  2^  ;  tarsus,  |. 

Two  specimens  marked  as  females  do  not  differ  in  plumage  from 
the  males. 

Length  (fresh),  5^  in. ;  wing,  2|  ;  tail,  2|  ;  tarsus,  |. 

Another  specimen,  marked  male,  and  of  quite  different  colors,  I 
have  no  doubt  is  the  young  of  this  species  ;  though  Mr.  Ober,  in  his 
notes,  says  of  it  (No.  428) :  "  The  quickest  to  respond  to  my  call  on 
the  Soufriere,  was  this  little  bird.  It  seems  an  associate  of  the  pre- 
ceding species  {L.  BisJiopl),  though  I  never  saw  them  closely  togeth- 
er ;  yet  in  general  shape  and  habits,  especially  in  search  for  insects, 
they  resembled  one  another.  As  I  have  got  both  male  and  female 
of  tlie  other,  it  precludes  the  possibility  of  its  being  the  adult  of  the 
former.    That  there  may  be  no  doubt,  I  have  preserved  one  in  rum." 

The  color  of  this  specimen  (No.  428)  is  of  a  dark  olive-brown 
above,  lighter  below,  and  where  the  white  markings  are  in  the  adult, 
it  is  of  a  pale  dull  rufous  ;  on  the  throat  showing  some  white,  and 
around  the  eye  partially  white  ;  the"  marks  on  the  ends  of  the  tail- 
feathers  are  precisely  as  in  the  black  specimens  ;  the  quills  are  dark 
brown  ;  the  tail-feathers  are  black.  But  what  I  consider  conclusive 
evidence  of  its  being  the  young  of  L.  Bishopi  is,  that  on  the  crown 
the  black  feathers  are  beginning  to  appear.  Had  it  not  been  marked 
as  a  male,  I  should  have  taken  it  for  the  female  of  this  species.  But 
according  to  Mr.  Ober,  the  sexes  are  alike. 

Types  in  National  Museum,  Washington. 

Remarks.  This  is  a  remarkable  species,  and  at  first  I  was  at 
a  loss  where  to  place  it  properly  ;  I  determined  it  to  be  a  Sylvico- 
line  form,  yet  unlike- any  of  that  family  in  coloration.  On  comparing 
it  with  the  description  and  plate  of  Leitcopeza  Setnperi,  Mr.  Scla- 
ter's  new  form  from  St.  Lucia  (P.  Z.  S.,  1876,  p.  14),  I  determined  it 
to  be  a  second  species  of  that  peculiar  genus,  and,  like  that  species, 
having  long  and  light-colored  tarsi. 

Mr.  Ober  requested  that  I  would  bestow  the  name  of  our  friend 
Mr.  Nathaniel  H.  Bishop  on  some  West  India  bird  of  his  procuring, 
if  the  opportunity  offered  ;  and  it  gives  me  much  pleasure  to  connect 
his  name  with  so  remarkable  a  species. 

The  habits  of  this  bird  would  seem  to  be  like  those  of  the  wren, 
as  Mr.  Ober  has  on  the  labels,  "Wren?  "  He  states  that  they  are 
"  very  rare  and  very  shy,  and  found  in  the  crater  and  dark  gorges  of 
the  Soufriere." 

Three  specimens  were  obtained  in  November,  1877,  and  ^^^  ^^ 
February,  1878. 


364  CAMPS    IN   THE   CARIBBEES. 


18.    Calliste  versicolor.     "  Sour-sop  Bird." 

Male.  Front,  crown,  and  occiput  of  a  bright  deep  chestnut-red  ; 
upper  plumage  golden  fawn-color,  clearest  on  the  sides  of  the  neck 
and  on  the  rump,  in  some  positions  showing  a  pale  greenish-silvery 
gloss  ;  upper  tail-coverts  bluish-green  ;  lores  and  partly  under  the 
eye  black  ;  sides  of  the  head  and  ear-coverts  dull  dark-green  ;  tail- 
feathers  black,  except  the  two  middle  ones,  which,  with  the  outer 
margins  of  the  others,  are  bluish-green  ;  quills  black,  conspicuously 
edged  with  bluish-green  ;  wing-coverts  black,  with  their  exposed 
jKJrtions  bluish-green  ;  under  wing-coverts  of  a  light  salmon  color ; 
the  under  plumage  is  changeable  according  to  position  ;  viewed  from 
the  bill  downward  it  is  of  a  light  bluish-lilac,  the  blue  color  deepest 
on  the  lower  part  of  the  throat  and  the  upper  part  of  the  breast ;  on 
a  side  view  the  abdomen  is  of  a  purplish-red ;  the  feathers  of  the 
upper  part  of  the  throat  are  tipped  with  gray  ;  the  under  tail-coverts 
are  bright  cinnamon  color  ;  upper  mandible  black  ;  the  under,  light 
brownish  horn  color ;  tarsi  and  toes  black. 

Length,  6^  in.  ;  wing,  3f  ;  tail,  z\  ;  tarsus,  \\. 

The  female  differs  in  having  the  top  of  the  head  of  a  lighter  chest- 
nut color,  and  the  upper  plumage  of  a  pale  green;  the  under  plu- 
mage has  the  same  colors  as  the  male,  but  much  subdued  ;  the  abdo- 
men, sides,  and  under  tail-coverts  are  of  a  light  cinnamon  color  ;  the 
wings  and  tail  are  black,  but  margined  with  a  paler  bluish-green ; 
the  markings  about  the  head  and  on  the  throat  are  similar  to  those 
of  the  male,  "  iris  hazel." 

Length,  6  in.  ;  wing,  3^  ;  tail,  2^  ;  tarsus,  {|. 

Types  in  National  Museum,  Washington. 

Remarks.  This  fine  new  species  belongs  to  the  group  which 
contains  C.  vitriolina^  cay  ana,  cyanolama,  and  cucullata;  it  some- 
what resembles  the  latter,  a  species  I  have  never  seen,  but  accord- 
ing to  the  plate  (Mon.  of  Calliste,  Scl.),  the  colors  of  the  present 
bird  are  generally  darker,  with  no  tendency  to  ochreous-yellow 
above,  as  in  C.  cucullata,  and  the  abdomen  is  purple  instead  of  red- 
dish ochreous  ;  the  crown  is  of  a  clearer  and  brighter  chestnut-red. 
It  is  larger  than  any  of  its  allies  ;  and  a  strikingly  different  character 
is  its  very  large  and  stout  bill,  exceeding  in  size  that  of  any  of  them  I 
am  acquainted  with,  being  fully  as  large  as  the  bill  of  Tanagra  cana. 

No  species  of  Calliste  appears  to  be  on  record  before  from  any  of 
the  West  India  islands  proper.  There  are  five  specimens  in  the 
collection,  three  $  and  two  9>  procured  in  February,  1878.  "Fre- 
quents the  mountain  ridges  and  valleys." 


appendix.  365 

Descriptions  of  Supposed  New  Species  of  Birds 
FROM  THE  Island  of  Grenada,  West  Indies. 

19.    Turdtis    Caribbceiis. 

Male.  Upper  plumage  dark-olive,  with  the  forehead  dull  reddish- 
brown  ;  tail  dark  brownish-olive  ;  quills  dark-brown  ;  lower  part  of 
throat,  upper  part  of  breast  and  sides,  clear  ash  ;  lower  part  of 
breast,  middle  of  abdomen,  and  under  tail-coverts  white  ;  upper  part 
of  throat  white,  with  distinct  narrow  stripes  of  ashy-brown  ;  the 
under  wing-coverts  are  pale  cinnamon  ;  upper  mandible  blackish 
for  two-thirds  its  length,  the  end  yellow ;  the  under  is  yellow, 
with  the  base  black;  tarsi  and  toes  brown  ;  "iris  red,  naked  skin 
around  the  eye  orange." 

Length  (fresh),  9J  in.  ;  wing  5  ;  tail,  4^  ;  tarsus,  1^5. 

There  are  two  specimens  in  the  collection,  both  males  ;  the  length 
given  of  the  other  is  9^  inches  ;  the  tarsi  are  blackish-brown. 

Habitat,  Grenada.    Mr.  Ober  says  :  "  Rather  numerous,  but  shy." 
Type  in  National  Museum,  Washington. 

Remarks.  This  species  has  a  naked  space  around  the  eye,  sim- 
ilar to  that  of  T.  gymnopthalmus ;  but  it  is  of  larger  dimensions  ■ 
and  differently  colored  from  that  species.  The  upper  plumage  of  the 
new  bird  is  clear  deep  olive,  not  at  all  brownish  as  in  the  other ;  the 
under  plumage  is  of  a  lighter  ash,  and  has  a  much  greater  extent  of 
white  ;  the  striations  on  the  throat  are  darker  and  more  clearly  de- 
fined. 

20.    Thryotkorus  Grenadensis.    "God  Bird." 

Female.  Upper  plumage  of  a  rather  bright  ferruginous,  a  little 
inclining  to  brownish  on  the  head  and  hind  neck,  and  brighter  on 
the  rump  ;  lores  whitish  tinged  with  rufous  ;  a  light  rufous  stripe 
extends  over  the  eye  to  the  hind  neck  ;  tail  dull  rufous,  barred  with 
black  ;  the  primary  quills  have  their  outer  webs  of  a  dull  light  rufous, 
with  broad  black  bars ;  the  inner  v/ebs  are  brownish-black  ;  the 
wing-coverts  and  tertials  are  rufous  with  narrower  black  bars  ;  under 
wing-coverts  pale  rufous  ;  the  throat  is  very  pale  rufous,  inclining  to 
whitish  ;  the  breast  light  rufous  ;  the  middle  of  the  abdomen  is  of 
a  rather  paler  shade  ;  the  sides  and  under  tail-coverts  are  of  a  bright 
darker  ferruginous  ;  the  upper  mandible  brownish-black  ;  the  under 
pale  yellow,  dusky  at  the  tip  ;  tarsi  and  toes  hazel-brown. 

Length  (fresh),  4|  in. ;  wing,  2^ ;  tail,  i^  ;  tarsus,  \  ;  bill  from 
front,  \\. 


366  CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 

There  is  also  a  specimen  of  the  male,  but  as  it  was  in  poor  condi- 
tion, I  chose  the  female  as  the  type,  from  which  it  does  not  differ  in 
plumage  ;  its  measure  is  given  ;  length,  5  in. ;  wing,  2^  ;  tail,  l^. 

Habitat,  Grenada.     "  Abundant." 
Type  in  National  Museum,  Washington. 

Remarks.  This  species  differ  from  T.  rufescens,  from  Dominica, 
in  having  the  coloring  lighter  throughout,  especially  below,  the  entire 
under  plumage  of  T.  rufescens  being  of  a  dark  rufous ;  there  are 
subterminal  black  markings  on  the  under  tail-coverts  of  T.  rufescens, 
whereas  those  of  the  new  species  are  immaculate. 

T.  musicus,  from  St.  Vincent,  is  at  once  distinguished  by  its  white 
under  plumage. 

21.  ^liscalus  luminosus.     **  Bequia-Sweet." 

Male.  The  general  plumage  is  of  a  lustrous  dark  bluish-violet ; 
the  upper  and  under  tail-coverts  are  dull  dark  green  ;  tail  dark  glossy 
green  ;  tertials,  outer  webs  of  larger  quills,  and  the  middle  and  larger 
wing  coverts,  glossy-green  like  the  tail ;  the  inner  webs  of  the  larger 
quills  are  black  ;  smaller  wing-coverts  the  color  of  the  back  ;  under 
wing-coverts  black  ;  the  bill  and  feet  are  black  ;  "  iris  yellow." 

Length  (fresh),  iO:|-  in. ;  wing,  5  ;  tail,  4^  ;  tarsus,  i^  ;  bill,  \\. 

Female.  Upper  plumage  of  a  fine  dark  brown,  light  on  the 
crown,  the  feathers  of  which  are  margined  with  duJl  pale  rust-color  ; 
the  tail  is  blackish-brown,  with  a  wash  of  greenish,  quills  dark- 
brown  ;  the  under  plumage  is  dark  brownish-ash,  lighter  on  the 
throat  and  breast,  and  fuliginous  on  the  flanks,  lower  part  of  abdo- 
men, and  under  tail-coverts  ;  on  the  lower  part  of  the  neck  is  a  wash 
of  dull  rust-color  ;  bill  and  feet  black  ;  "  iris  yellow." 

Length  (fresh),  c\  in. ;  wing,  4J  ;  tail,  4  ;   tarsus-,  -^^  ;  bill,  \\. 

Habitat,  Grenada.  / 

Types  in  National  Museum,  Washington. 

Remarks.  The  male  of  this  species,  in  dimensions  and  general 
appearance,  somewhat  resembles  Q.  brachypteriis  from  Porto  Rico, 
but  is  of  a  brighter  and  more  uniform  violet ;  it  may  be  at  once 
known  by  its  upper  and  under  tail-coverts  being  green,  the  other 
having  the  upper  coverts  colored  like  the  back,  and  the  under  ones 
black.  The  females  are  totally  unlike,  —  that  sex  in  Q.  brachypte- 
rus  being  black  like  the  male,  only  duller. 


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